March 21, 2024

For information about the diocesan pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress see pg. 38.

Through Death to Life

This work-in-progress carved slab of limestone, a natural version of the Stations of the Cross, is one of several found on a walking trail in Naas, Lebanon, near Beirut. Another station, titled in Arabic, “God has truly risen,” can be seen on page two with Bishop James F. Checchio’s Easter message. Read Msgr. John N. Fell’s related column on pg. 30. —Peter Nguyen photo

“Christ indeed from death is risen, Our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!”

From the Easter Sequence

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).

Easter is a time to recall God’s great love for us

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Around the world we join with our brother and sister Christians proclaiming with joy Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. We exult in the Resurrection because, as St. Peter tells us, Jesus “gave us a new birth to a living hope … to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

Indeed, Easter holds out the promise of reversibility. Not even death is final. In that graveyard in Jerusalem, Sts. Peter and John and St. Mary Magdala with some women, found hope and faith in the risen Lord Jesus Christ. What had happened was shocking, something no one could have expected. Naturally their reactions were mixed – fear, doubt, confusion, but then came belief and joy. Jesus was alive again; he had walked away from the tomb. Nothing like that had ever happened before. There was hope again.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is an object of faith and in a sense a test of our faith. What it means is that we believe that Jesus is still living now in time, in history, He is out there

office.

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somewhere; He is here with us.

Easter offers a new note of hope and faith that what God did once in a graveyard in Jerusalem he will repeat on a grand scale. Against all odds the irreversible will be reversed. We believe in our own resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of our beloved dead and in the life of the world to come. Incredible, but we believe; what a gift!

Easter is, of course, more than one day. In fact, it is a full season on the Church’s calendar. We even think of every Sunday that we gather for Mass with our fellow disciples as its own “miniEaster.” So, we remember and rejoice in the Resurrection all year long, but as you gather this Easter Sunday with family and friends, remember to give thanks for the gift from God the Father of being deeply loved by Him. Please know I, too, love you and give thanks to God for you and promise you a place in my prayers at Mass on Easter Sunday and during the year! May you and your loved ones be blessed by our Risen Lord today and during the Easter Season. Please remember me in your prayers as well.

Blessed Holy Week and Happy Easter!

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

Bishop’s Appointments

Bishop James F. Checchio has announced the following appointments.

Rev. Edgar Madarang, from Parochial Vicar, Immaculate Conception Parish, Annandale, to Administrator, St. Mary Parish, Alpha, effective March 4

Rev. Deniskingsley Nwagwu, S.D.V., from Administrator to Pastor, St. Cecelia Parish, Iselin, effective March 9

Addendum to “For parishioner, a visit to the relic of St. Jude leaves lasting memory,” which appeared on pg. 12 in the February issue of The Catholic Spirit: St. Jude, Blairstown, parishioner Jean O’Brien, and her daughter, Livia Angelone, wrote the personal reflection shared with pastor, Father Ron I. Jandernoa, who shared it with The Catholic Spirit.

Left, photo taken at Naas, Lebanon, artist unknown. —Peter Nguyen photo

1. March was an anniversary month for Bishop James F. Checchio, who was appointed Fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen on March 8, 2016 by His Holiness Pope Francis. —Courtesy photo

2. The beauty of a stained-glass window in the chapel of Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick, encourages visitors to pray for those who are sick. —Gerald Wutkowski Jr. photo

3. Recently, Bishop Checchio joined the students, faculty, and staff of St. Francis Cathedral School to pray the Stations of the Cross. —Gerald Wutkowski Jr. photo

4. On March 6 Bishop Checchio blessed the newly expanded Saint Peter’s Family Health Center in New Brunswick. —Michael Castronova photo (SPHCS Marketing)

5. Bishop Checchio celebrated Mass Feb. 16 in the chapel in Saint Peter’s University Hospital to commemorate the World Day of the Sick. —Gerald Wutkowski Jr. photo

6. Bishop Checchio made a special visit to Unity Square, New Brunswick, a community organizing and social concerns initiative of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen, and met with Rutgers University student volunteers. —Office of the Bishop

7. The Men of Charity at St. James Parish, Basking Ridge recently presented a $5,400 check to Bishop Checchio for the diocesan seminarian fund. —Courtesy photo

RITE OF ELECTION brings catechumens closer to full initiation in the Church

Correspondent

Ninety catechumens representing 30 parishes across the Diocese of Metuchen gathered in the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in Metuchen on the First Sunday of Lent, Feb. 18, for the Rite of Election, celebrated by Bishop James F. Checchio and marking their last major step to full initiation into the Catholic Church.

Catechumens are non-baptized individuals who wish to become members of the Church, a rite that generally takes place during the Easter Vigil. This stage in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, previously known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), marks the beginning of a period of final, more intense preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation, Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.

Before the service began, Adam Carlisle, Secretary for Evangelization and Communication, reminded catechumens that this was the most important journey of their lives. “The process of

an ongoing process in which Jesus calls everyday,” Carlisle said. He then thanked the sponsors for supporting the catechumens throughout their journey.

In his homily Bishop Checchio recalled that readings for the First Sunday of Lent, “always bring us the temptations of Jesus Christ in the desert.” He reminded the congregation “That if even Jesus is tempted in the desert, we must be too.”

Bishop Checchio suggested that one way of dealing with temptations is to be disciplined in our faith. “It is not easy to be a disciple of Jesus, it takes discipline.”

The Bishop said that the disciplines and practices of Lent help disciples to deal with the challenges they face. He asked the candidates to use this holy season to prepare for their next steps.

As Father Jonathan S. Toborowsky, diocesan vicar general, read out the names of the catechumens, each one stood with his or her sponsor. After Bishop Checchio received assurances from their sponsors that the catechumens were prepared and ready to go forward and that the assem-

Ready to embark on the most important spiritual journey of their lives, 90 catechumens from 30 parishes gathered in the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Feb. 18 for the Rite of Election with Bishop James F. Checchio

the catechumens make a public declaration of their faith as they sign their names in the Book of the Elect. Right, a fellow Catholic exuberantly welcomes a newcomer to the faith during the rite. — John Batkowski photos

bly was prepared to support and pray for them, the Bishop addressed the catechumens, asking them, “Do you wish to enter fully in the life of the Church through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist?” With their collective response, “We do,” Bishop Checchio invited them to come forward and sign the Book of the Elect.

After all had signed their names, the book was presented to the Bishop who announced, “I now declare you to be members of the elect, to be initiated into the sacred mysteries at the next Easter Vigil.”

Adam Cohen from Our Lady of the Mount, Middlesex, is a convert from Judaism. He has been attending both the Spanish and English Masses at his parish for years, along with his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children, who are Catholic.

But he said he felt a sense of emptiness. Cohen describes his decision to join the Catholic Church this year as a St. Paullike “Road to Damascus” experience. He was at work one evening and he knew that the OCIA program was beginning that night. “I was trying to decide whether to remain at work or attend the session. Suddenly, I knew the right answer. I left work and went to the meeting, and I know it was the right decision.”

Shannon Montulet and her 15-yearold daughter, Alexis, are going through the OCIA process together in their parish of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Kendall Park. Both had been considering converting for a while, but, “When Alexis transferred from public school last year to Immaculata High School, Somerville, we both decided that this was the right time.”

(top left.) Bottom left,

Catechumens for the Rite of Election

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Hackettstown

Amanda Casazza, Avril Xavier Gomez

Good Shepherd, Hopelawn

Jayden Pena, Joshua Rosario, Reymi Santana

Immaculate Conception, Annandale

Enielson Da Silva, Michelly Sousa, Taylor Vidak

Immaculate Conception, Spotswood

Martin Hirschfeld

Immaculate Conception, Somerville

Nancy Matinho

Most Holy Name of Jesus, Perth Amboy

Felix Lizardo, Antonio Rodriguez Cejano, Fiorella Valentin

Our Lady of Fatima, Piscataway

Lucas Carrizo

Our Lady of Fatima, Perth Amboy

Rayceliz Anais Garranchan Abder, Aislinn Guillen, Miguel Angel Jose Solarte, Jefferson Rosado, Rolando Suarez Bosquez, Olga Yudelka Valerio Peralta

Our Lady of Mercy, South Bound Brook

Hye Youn Joo, Joon Won Lee

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New Brunswick

Ashley Bautista Vasquez, Sinahi Bernal Dominguez, Lucila Calderon Gutierrez, Johnathan Ortiz Garcia, Gustavo Rojas

Our Lady of Mount Virgin, Middlesex

Derek Andrade, Adam Cohen, Ashley De la Cruz, Emiley McGinnis, Brianna Mejia Castro

Our Lady of Victories, Sayreville

Sumatie Raghunanan, Benjamin Rios

Queenship of Mary, Plainsboro

Denis Giron , Susan Kwendo

Sacred Heart, South Amboy

Linda Meyers, Benjamin Seidenstein

St. Ambrose, Old Bridge

Tieshia Gibson, David Richman

St. Andrew, Avenel

David Vazquez

St. Augustine of Canterbury, Kendall Park

Melody McCarron, Shannon Montulet, Alexis Montulet

St. Bartholomew, East Brunswick

John Eckert, Arman Jouzdani, Brenda Ramos

St. Catherine of Siena, Pittstown

Anthony Pasculli

St. Cecelia, Iselin

Deon Brown, Estefany Mendez

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Three Bridges

Alexa Wyman

St. Frances Cabrini, Piscataway

Joel Rivera

St. James, Basking Ridge

Douglas Meyers

St. John Paul II, Perth Amboy

Jason Hernandez, Diamond Santiago

St. Joseph, Carteret

Osman Arturo Asencio, Dany Ricardo Asencio

St. Joseph, Washington

Salvatore Boutilette, Robert Lear, Jefry Martinez, Oswaldo Martinez, Melany Martinez, Roselyee Ramos, Ryan Vargas

St. Joseph, North Plainfield

Jocelyn Cordova, Nancy Escobar, Angie Lara

St. Magdalen de Pazzi, Flemington

Madelyn Garcia, Francisco Gonzalez Garcia, Gage Higgins, Stephanie Marquez, Jovan Ortiz Colon, Bradley Romano, Angel Sanchez Amaya, Colin Sutter, Naomi Turcios, Orlin Zepeda

St. Mary, South Amboy

Gina Fabiano, Nadia Persaud

St. Mary-Stony Hill, Watchung

Leah Estrada, Naomi Estrada

St. Matthew the Apostle, Edison

William Chavez, Sharon Chavez, Irvin Harris, Colin Sharma

St. Matthias, Somerset

Jason Olmedo

St. Patrick and St. Rose of Lima, Belvidere

Malcolm Thurber

St. Philip and St. James, Phillipsburg

Preston Cryan, Miss-Tarina Paul, Emmanuel Sostre

St. Thomas the Apostle, Old Bridge

Christian Bosques, Camila Bosques, Arthur Yuen

The Final Step and the Beginning: Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday

The Easter Vigil takes place on Holy Saturday, the evening before Easter Sunday. This is the night that “shall be as bright as day” as proclaimed by the Exsultet, an ancient church hymn, as we joyfully anticipate Christ’s Resurrection. The Holy Saturday Liturgy begins with the Service of Light, which includes the blessing of the new fire and the Paschal candle which symbolizes Jesus, the Light of the World. The second part consists of the Liturgy of the Word with a series of Scripture readings. After the Liturgy of the Word, the Catechumens are presented to the parish community, who pray for them with the Litany of the Saints. Next, the priest blesses the water, placing the Easter or Paschal candle into the baptismal water. Those seeking Baptism then renounce sin and profess their faith after which they are baptized with the priest pronouncing the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

After the Baptism the newly baptized are dressed in white garments and presented with a candle lighted from the Paschal Candle. They are then Confirmed by the priest or bishop who lays hands on their heads, and invokes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He then anoints them with the oil called Sacred Chrism. The Mass continues with the newly baptized participating in the general intercessions and in bringing gifts to the altar. At Communion, the newly baptized receive the Eucharist, Christ’s Body and Blood, for the first time, and their new life begins.

From the United Stated Conference of Catholic Bishops

Deacon Jeff Prickette, pastoral leader at Prince of Peace Parish in Bellevue, Wis., holds the pascal candle in the church sanctuary during the Service of Light, part of the Easter Vigil liturgy held April 8, 2023. —OSV News photo/ Sam Lucero

Unveiling the radiant face of Christ: A call to eucharistic renewal

Father Ronal Vega Special Contributor

“Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name … let hearts that seek the LORD rejoice! Seek out the LORD and his might; constantly seek the face of the Lord” (Psalm 105: 1, 3-4).

These words resonate deeply within us, a beckoning call from the psalmist that stirs the core of our being. As we journey through our Eucharistic Renewal project, we are awakened to the profound quest of establishing a personal connection with Jesus Christ. The quest of looking for His face – His true face, veiled beneath the consecrated bread and wine, awaits us. He is truly present, whether in Adoration or within the celebration of the Mass. Yet, amid the rush of daily life, the pursuit of encountering God’s face often takes a back seat.

Let us journey back to era of the Israelites, where the prophet Hosea stood as a sentinel of their faith. He proclaimed, “Israel is a luxuriant vine whose fruit

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matches its growth. The more abundant his fruit, the more altars he built; the more productive his land, the more sacred pillars he set up.” (Hosea 10:1). This was a stark indictment of a nation ensnared by prosperity, drifting away from the wellspring of blessings. Just as Israel’s property led to altars for false gods, so too can our earthly comforts divert our gaze from the divine countenance – the intimate face-to-face encounter with the incarnate divine.

In today’s world, this narrative holds steadfast relevance. As we immerse ourselves in temporal enticements, God risks being sidelined in our lives. Fleeting gains and momentary joys have cast

to the Eucharistic

INDIANAPOLIS (OSV News) – The tens of thousands of Catholics planning to attend the five-day 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis July 17-21 will experience large-scale liturgies, dynamic speakers, and opportunities for quiet prayer and faith-sharing, with six different “impact session” tracks tailored to their peer groups or faith journey. Leaders hope attendees become “a leaven for the Church in the United States as Eucharistic missionaries going back to their parishes, but also sort of a gathering of people who are standing in the breach, or in proxy, for the entire Church across the United States, inviting that new Pentecost, and that new sending (of) healing and life to the full,” said Tim Glemkowski, CEO of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., in a January meeting with media.

The event is the pinnacle of the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative of the U.S. bishops to inspire a deeper love for Jesus in the Eucharist that began in 2022. The revival focused its first year on dioceses, the second and

the earthly and the divine. Here, in the Eucharist, we encounter Christ’ abiding love in tangible form.

The risen Christ is depicted in a stained-glass window at St. Aloysius Church in Great Neck, N.Y. —OSV News photo/ Gregory A. Shemitz

It is in the Eucharist that we find a moment of profound connection with the divine – where the veil between realms is delicately lifted, and the radiant face of the Lord shines upon us. In this communion, we discover solace, renewal, and the unwavering affirmation that God’s presence is palpable reality, not distant fantasy. Whether partaking in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or delving into the deep waters of Eucharistic Adoration, we are reminded that seeking the Lord’s face within the Eucharist transcends mere intellectual pursuit. It is a transformative expedition, demanding the entirety of our being. In the Eucharist, amid life’s routines and worldly concerns, we momentarily step beyond time’s grasp and into the eternal threshold.

a shadow over the eternal brilliance of God’s presence. Yet, the Eucharistic Renewal seeks to dispel this shadow. It calls us to rediscover the face of the Lord, to return to the ancient yet ever-new faith the Catholic Church, to rekindle our encounter with Jesus Christ in the very essence of the Eucharist.

Within the heart of our spiritual landscape, the person of Jesus Christ stands resolute, a living embodiment of God’s luminous face cast upon humanity. At the sacred altar, the transformative power of Christ’ presence unfolds before us. Bearing the modest cloak of bread and wine, Jesus Christ beckons us to communion, bridging the gap between

As the current of this Eucharistic Renewal continues to flow, we are summoned out of complacency’s shadow, stirred from familiarity’s slumber. The invitation persists – urging us to seek the radiant face of the Lord in the Eucharist, much like a child seeking a mother’s gaze. The more we seek, the more we uncover; the more we embrace, the more we are transformed. Our fervent hope is that our encounter with the living Christ at the Eucharist becomes the cornerstone of our journey and a blazing fire within our spirits, propelling us to pursue ceaselessly and relentlessly the radiant face of the Lord.

Father Ronal Vega serves as parochial vicar in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Bernardsville.

Congress in July? Here’s what to expect

current year on parishes, and the final year, beginning after the congress, on “going out in mission.” Registration is open for full-event and single-day passes at www.eucharisticcongress.org/ register.

This is an updated map showing the four routes of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress in 2024. Pilgrims traveling in “Eucharistic caravans” on all four routes will begin their journeys with Pentecost weekend celebrations May 17-18, 2024, leaving May 19. They will all converge on Indianapolis July 16, 2024, the day before the five-day Congress opens. —OSV News illustration/ courtesy National Eucharistic Congress

Shared parish Lenten Mission focuses on Eucharistic Revival

By Paul Peyton and Robert Christie, Correspondents

“For the Life of the World: A Lenten Mission for The Eucharistic Revival,” held in Mary, Mother of God Church, Hillsborough, and Immaculate Conception Church, Somerville, Feb. 25-26, respectively, was an opportunity for Timothy Glemkowski, chief executive officer of the National Eucharistic Congress, to lead parishioners to a fuller understanding of Eucharist as Encounter and Eucharist as Mission.

Glemkowski explained that the National Eucharistic Congress was founded by the U.S. Bishops in November 2021. There have been nine previous Congresses, beginning in 1895. The 10th will be held in Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind., July 19-21.

“It is going to be among the most significant Catholic moments probably in our lifetime,” Glemkowski said to those who participated in the first evening of the mission.

He recounted that the Congress was created to initiate the National Eucharistic Revival focused on “bringing people back to a living relationship with Jesus and the Eucharist,” noting that the Congress is doing the logistics and marketing for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, the first procession with Jesus and the Eucharist in history to move across the U.S. from north, south, east and west.

Underscoring the evening’s theme, Glemkowski shared the words of Pope Benedict XV1 in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est: “Being Christian is not result of an ethical choice … it’s not just a lofty idea, but it’s the fruit of an encounter with a person who gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”

“The Eucharist is not an object, it’s not a thing. It’s a person,” he explained. “What we receive at Mass every Sunday is a who, who gives himself to us.”

Glemkowski repeated the words Jesus spoke to crowds of 20,000 in his public ministry: “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you will not have life

within me. And the bread, which I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

“This gift of Jesus in the Eucharist is his very self, offered to us. … In Jesus Christ, God has reconciled all of us to himself. And he can be known and in knowing him and being loved by him we have everything that we will ever need,” Glemkowski said.

On Feb. 26 some one hundred parishioners gathered in Immaculate Conception Church to hear Glemkowski speak on “Eucharist as Mission.”

After reminding the faithful of the first evening’s focus on Eucharist as Encounter, Glemkowski posed a question: “What is this church, Immaculate Conception, supposed to do?”

Drawing on the teaching of Pope Paul VI, he stressed that the natural state of the Church is mission, and the mission is to evangelize. Glemkowski cited statistics stating that two generations ago, 94 percent of the people of Quebec were Catholic. Today that number is six percent. The “nones,” claiming no religious affiliation, dominate the culture.

“We must go back to our mission stage for the least and the lost,” he said.

Teresa urged her nuns toward Eucharistic encounter: spend fifteen minutes a day before the Eucharist, asking “Who are You?” and “Who am I?”

He urged that the faithful identify with the Eucharist, in that they are good, worthy, and loved. He finished by proposing that each person write down the names of three persons they love and ask Jesus what he wants for them, then make the commitment to bring that about.

Reynoldo Lopez, a deacon at Immaculate Conception for the past seven years, was present with his wife Julia. “It was amazing. A beautiful devoted young guy. I am sure he has had an encounter with the living God. He told us to go on our mission as God sends us or we are left to curse the darkness.” Julia appreciated the questions that were proposed.

Myrna Gonzalez, another parishioner, found the presentation “interesting, informative, and easy to follow. He talked like the person next door.” Osvaldo and Marietta Echevarria said the talk was “impressive, with a deeper understanding of the Eucharist as not just a symbol but intimacy with Jesus.”

Aura Izaguirre, another attendee, said it was the first time she heard of the call to mission, and appreciated Tim

“It is going to be among the most significant Catholic moments probably in our lifetime.”

Glemkowski’s passion for the Eucharist.

Culminating and summarizing the evening was Msgr. Joseph G. Celano’s and clarion call that “It is time for the Church to get out of the Church.”

Both evenings closed with Benediction and Adoration of the Eucharist.

Top left, Msgr. Joseph G. Celano, pastor, offers incense as the Eucharist is exposed in the monstrance for Adoration in Immaculate Conception Church, Somerville. —Robert Christie photo.

Top right, Tim Glemkowski, chief executive officer of the National Eucharistic Congress, served as presenter during “For the Life of the World: A Lenten Mission for the Eucharistic Revival.” Robert Christie photo.

Bottom left, Lenten mission attendees in Immaculate Conception Church, Osvaldo and Marietta Echevarria, Aura Izaguirre, and Myrna Gonzalez found the mission inspirational. —Hal Brown photo

Bottom right, parishioners in Mary, Mother of God Church listen intently as Glemkowski reminds them that being Christian is “the fruit of an encounter …” Hal Brown photo.

‘Thy Kingdom Come’ is our hope for the present and the future

Paragraphs 2816-2821

The image of a “kingdom” conjures up in the minds of many a king or queen overseeing their vast kingdoms or their realm; that is, the area of the world or the country that they govern. For those familiar with Disney World, you might recall signs like, “This Way to the Kingdom,” meaning this way to Disney’s Magic Kingdom Theme Park.

When used in the context of the Lord’s Prayer, Kingdom refers to the Kingdom or Reign of God. The Greek word basileia can be translated in various ways (kingdom, reign, realm, etc.). In the words of the Catechism, “The Kingdom of God lies ahead of us. It is brought near in the Word Incarnate, it is proclaimed throughout the whole Gospel, and it has come in Christ’s death and Resurrection. The Kingdom of God has been coming since the Last Supper and, in the Eucharist, it is in our midst. The Kingdom will come in glory when Christ hands it over to His Father” (CCC 2816).

Third century Bishop and theologian, St. Cyprian of North Africa, observes: “It may even be … that the Kingdom of God means Christ Himself, whom we daily desire to come, and whose coming we wish to be manifested quickly to us. For as He is our resurrection, since in Him we rise, so He can also be understood as the Kingdom of God, for in Him we shall reign.” The Catechism affirms this point when it states that this mention of God’s Kingdom in the Lord’s Prayer “refers primarily to the final coming of the reign of God through Christ’s return … [when] the Lord … completes His work on earth and brings us the fullness of grace” (CCC 2818).

The phrase “Thy Kingdom Come” is not solely an intense longing for the Second coming of Christ, although it contains this longing. “Thy Kingdom Come” likewise includes the prayerful desire that we disciples of Christ experience God’s Kingdom and help bring it about in our part of the world.

The Catechism continues: “The Kingdom of God [is] righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The end-time in which we live is the age of the outpouring of the Spirit. Ever since Pentecost, a decisive battle has been joined between ‘the flesh’ and the Spirit” (CCC 2819).

Fourth century Bishop and Doctor

of the Church, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, would add: “Only a pure soul can boldly say: Thy Kingdom come. One who has heard Paul say, ‘Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies,’ and has purified himself in action, thought and word will say to God: ‘Thy Kingdom Come!’”

I am reminded when praying this petition of the Lord’s Prayer that the Kingdom of God must first take root within us before anything else. How could I even consider praying for the coming of God’s Kingdom unless I first allow His Kingdom to be spread and take root deep within my heart and soul?

“Justice and peace are the components of God’s eternal Kingdom. They ought likewise to be the content of our own personal disposition ...”

Only then would I have the interior “spiritual” capacity to pray for the spreading of God’s Kingdom around and beyond me. The words of the Catechism give emphasis to this: “By a discernment according to the Spirit, Christians have to distinguish between the growth of the Reign of God [within themselves and others] and the progress of the culture and society in which they are involved. This distinction is not a separation. Man’s vocation to eternal life does not suppress but, actually, reinforces his duty to put into action in this world the energies and means received from the Creator to serve justice and peace” (CCC 2820).

Justice and peace are the components of God’s eternal Kingdom. They ought to likewise be the content of our own personal disposition, as well as the context of our ongoing prayers for God’s Kingdom to be present “on earth as it is in Heaven.” We pray for peace in our personal lives and for the entire world. We pray for justice for all, for friend and foe. As Pope Paul VI stated on the World Day of Peace in 1972: “If you want peace, work for justice!”

At every Holy Mass, when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we anticipate God’s Kingdom in our Holy Communion with Jesus. As the Catechism puts it: “This petition is taken up and granted in the prayer of Jesus which is present and effective in the Eucharist; it bears its fruit in new life in keeping with the Beatitudes” (CCC 2821). These eight Beatitudes include dispositions such as being poor in spirit, meek, merciful, pure of heart, peacemakers, etc.

Continued on page 9

Article 184 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series

Dr. Joseph White addresses PCLs for professional day

By Jill Kerekes Special Contributor

The St. John Neumann Pastoral Center was abuzz with activity on Feb. 29, when thirty parish catechetical leaders attended a presentation by Dr. Joseph White, associate publisher for Catechetical Resources at Our Sunday Visitor Publishing. Dr. White, a clinical psychologist, prolific author, and former catechetical leader, focused upon three key themes of the 2020 Directory for Catechesis: kerygma, Christian anthro pology, and missionary discipleship.

In terms of the kerygma, or the initial proclamation of the Gospel, Dr. White emphasized that religious educa tion has tended to “put the ‘what’ before the ‘why’.” In other words, the truths of the Catholic faith have been presented without first presenting the reason why these truths matter in our lives. The ‘why’ is found in the kerygma, which is such a major theme of the 2020 Directory for Catechesis that it is repeated 39 times within the document.

Quoting the kerygma as expressed in the 2019 post-synodal apostolic ex hortation of Pope Francis, Christus Vivit, “God loves you: Christ is your savior: he is alive,” Dr. White emphasized the need for catechists to return to the proclamation of the kerygma over and over.

The example of Peter, James and John and the change that came over them after witnessing the Transfiguration of Jesus: “They saw no one else but Jesus alone” (Matthew 17:8) and the revelation that they later “lost focus” was used to illustrate that the powerful effect of hearing the kerygma can wane over time if it is not kept alive in our hearts. The Directory for Catechesis emphasizes the ongoing need for the proclamation of the kerygma to keep in mind the ‘why’ as the reason for the ‘what’.

The Directory for Catechesis discusses that the transcendental properties of being: truth, beauty, and goodness, are from God and can lead people back to God. Dr. White remarked that “some-

times truth may not be the way into the kerygma in today’s culture.” He then shared his own experience of being an evangelical Protestant that was “overwhelmed with God’s presence” on a visit to the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, Virginia as a graduate student.

The beauty of both the cathedral and the liturgy led him to an encounter with God. As a young man who had been raised “steeped in the intellectual tradition” it came to him as a surprise that his conversion of heart was first prompted by beauty and not by truth, which came later on when he entered the RCIA.

Dr. White continued the presentation with a discussion of Christian anthropology, relating that the Directory for Catechesis emphasizes the “necessity for those who teach the faith to be faithful to God and faithful to humanity.”

‘Thy Kingdom’ has deep roots

Continued from page 8

No wonder the Preface of the Mass invokes angels and archangels, thrones and dominions. Following the Eucharistic Prayer, this petition, “Thy Kingdom Come,” asks that our Lord’s Dominion be present for all to see in the lives of His disciples, especially as we go forth, having received Him in the Eucharist. We ask our Heavenly Father to support us in our holy desire to be more faithful, hopeful, loving, and obedient disciples of Christ. Our faith must be authentic (for all to see) as we do our part to spread God’s Kingdom with both words and deeds.

By sincerely praying the words, “Thy Kingdom Come,” we also wait in joyful hope for the coming God’s sovereign reign over our lives here on earth. We desire God’s Kingdom to rule in its fullness, for all eternity, not only over our lives, but over the lives of every person of every generation including all earthly kings, queens and other monarchs, the Disney kingdom included. All will remain forever under God’s sovereign rule. Father Hillier is director, diocesan Office of Pontifical Mission Societies, the Office for Persons with Disabilities and Censor Luborum.

Human beings are a unity of mind, body, and spirit, created in the image and likeness of God. Developing an understanding of these truths beginning in the elementary years of childhood serves to provide a strong foundation for the presentation of more difficult topics in the mid and late teen years. In addition, the Directory for Catechesis emphasizes the need for the catechesis and inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. Persons with Disabilities are “called to the fullness of sacramental life” and the Directory for Catechesis urges that Persons with Disabilities should be considered “active subjects in the community” and “to recognize the presence of Jesus who in a special way manifests himself in them.”

Dr. White concluded his presentation with a discussion of missionary discipleship. All of the baptized are called

to be missionary disciples and catechists can support students with this calling by helping students “articulate their faith to others” and “live the message they have received”. Also, catechists can help parents by giving them practical advice on how to talk with their children about the faith and how families can live the faith in their daily lives. Dr. White then provided a number of concrete ways to do this in and out of the catechetical classroom.

The overall response to Dr. Whites’ rich presentation was summed up by one catechetical leader: “Dr. Joseph White’s presentation was great. I really enjoyed it and know I will use the information in my program.”

Jill Kerekes serves as diocesan director, Office of Discipleship Formation for Children.

Dr. Joseph White, associate publisher for Catechetical Resources for Our Sunday Visitor Publishing (left), led a professional day for catechetical leaders Feb. 29 in the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway. At right, participants learn the three key themes for the 2020 Directory of Catechesis. —Gerald Wutkowski Jr. photos

Bishop Checchio ordains Randy Josue Gamboa Espinoza to Order of Deacon

By Deacon Patrick Cline Correspondent

On the Feast of the Chair of St Peter the Apostle, Randy Josue Gamboa Espinoza, a seminarian of the Diocese of Metuchen was ordained to the Order of Deacon by Bishop James F. Checchio in Mary Mother of God Parish, Hillsborough.

One of the more than 40 concelebrants of the Feb. 22 Mass was Bishop Daniel Blanco, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of San Jose, Costa Rica, who has supported Rev. Mr. Gamboa Espinoza’s vocation through the years.

Also concelebrating were Father Jonathan Toborowsky, diocesan vicar general; Msgr. John Fell, diocesan director, Offices of Priest Personnel and Seminarians; Msgr. Joseph M. Curry, pastor, along with priests of the Diocese and neighboring dioceses. In addition, some 30 deacons were present to welcome Rev. Mr. Gamboa Espinoza into the Order of Deacon.

In his homily, Bishop Checchio noted that the Gospel for the Feast was the passage from Matthew where Jesus asked St. Peter the question, “Who do you say that I am?”

“Peter’s answer changed his life. It gave him a new name, a new nature and a new purpose,” the Bishop said, adding, “Randy, likewise you will soon be asked questions that will change your life.”

Bishop Checchio then mentioned questions that he would ask during the ordination rite; questions regarding the willingness of the candidate to undertake the tasks and obligations of the diaconate and his willingness to obey the Bishop and his successors. “Randy, your answers to these questions … give you a new purpose as you take on the responsibility of service as a deacon. The Bishop reminded him, “Today the Lord has called you to be a disciple in a special way, as a servant just as he was.”

The newly ordained deacon was born in Perez-Zeledon in Costa Rica. And it was there in his hometown of Canas, Buenos Aires, where he first heard the call to the priesthood. He credits Fa-

ther Roberto Corrales with being a strong influence on that decision. After completing two years of philosophy studies in Costa Rica, he came to the United States in 2018 and enrolled in the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University.

While studying there Rev. Mr. Gamboa Espinoza served in a number of parishes throughout the Diocese: St. Philip and St. James, Phillipsburg; St. John Vianney, Colonia; St. Bartholomew, East Brunswick; Mary Mother of God, Hillsborough, and St. Peter the Apostle, New Brunswick, where he was active with the Catholic Center at Rutgers University.While at the Catholic Center, Rev. Mr. Gamboa Espinoza worked with the Sisters of Jesus Our Hope. Sister Anna Palka, a member of that community remembers, “His assistance with student retreats, his presence to the students and his prayerful witness that enriched the Rutger’s community.”

Father John Barbella who was the pastor at St. Philip and St. James when Rev. Mr. Gamboa Espinoza was assigned to the parish as a seminarian. “I always appreciated his willingness to be involved in various ministries, including the soup kitchen. He served Mass regularly and was present at the Sunday evening Mass to assist the celebrant. He did everything with a relaxed personality and this calm manner helped others to remain calm.”

When Father Barbella was named Pastor at St. John Vianney Parish he was not surprised that the parishioners there spoke highly of Rev. Mr. Gamboa Espinoza even years after he had been assigned to the parish.

After the Ordination Mass Rev. Mr. Gamboa Espinoza said, “I was very blessed to have my mother, my brother and sister-in-law at my Ordination. I am grateful for all the support I have received from the parishioners where I served.”

“ Today the Lord has called you to be a disciple in a special way, as a servant just as he was.”

Rev. Mr. Gamboa Espinoza’s mother, Eugenia Espinoza expressed her joy at being “able to be present at my son’s Ordination and I am grateful to God and to all who have supported him during his time in this Diocese. I pray for Randy and all his classmates every day.”

The Diocese of Metuchen rejoiced as Randy Josue Gamboa Espinoza (top) was ordained to the Order of Deacon Feb. 22 by Bishop James F. Checchio in Mary, Mother of God Church, Hillsborough. A native of Costa Rica, Gamboa Espinoza lies prostrate during the Litany of the Saints (middle) as a sign of deep humility and reverence. Bishop Checchio lays his hands on the head of the ordinand to confer the Holy Spirit. —Mike Ehrmann photos

Basking Ridge parishioners among Assumption College for Sisters 2024 honorees

In recognition of outstanding service to the Church and greater community, Assumption College for Sisters, Denville, plans to bestow honors upon Sister of Christian Charity Joseph Spring, Angelo Del Russo of Del-Sano Contracting Corp., and Kevin and Lisa Clayton, St. James Parish, Basking Ridge, at the Annual Caring Basket Gala, March 22, the Park Avenue Club, Florham Park. The Claytons will receive the Family Life Award.

Family and Catholic education have always been important foundations for Lisa and Kevin Clayton. The Claytons are the proud parents of three children: Jessica, Patrick, and Grace. Jessica and husband, Brian, have three daughters whom “Mimi” and “Pop” lovingly dote on: Georgia, Macailagh and Maeve.

Kevin and Lisa were married 36 years ago in St. Rose of Lima Church, Short Hills. Kevin is a proud graduate of St. Rose of Lima School and Lisa grew up as a parishioner of Notre Dame Church, Bethlehem, Pa. As long-time members in St. James Parish, the Claytons’ children are all graduates of St. James School where their daughter Jessica teaches, and granddaughters are students.

As a sign of their belief in Catholic education and love for their parish, the

Claytons have provided scholarships for St. James School in addition to being lead benefactors for the renovation of the St. James rectory, convent, and school classrooms.

Kevin and Lisa dedicate their resources, time and energy to philanthropic organizations which exemplify their strong Catholic faith. They enthusiastically support the Salesian Sisters and the Newman Center at Lehigh University,

Bethlehem, Pa. Further, they provide academic scholarships to Blair Academy, Blairstown, and Lehigh University.

Two years ago, the Claytons joined The Papal Foundation as Stewards of St. Peter. Since its inception in 1988, The Papal Foundation and its Stewards of St. Peter, have allocated grants and scholarships around the world to more than 2,000 projects suggested by Popes John Paul II, Benedict, and Francis for funding.

The Papal Foundation is the only charitable organization in the United States which is exclusively dedicated to fulfilling the requests of the popes for global needs of the Church.

Kevin serves on the Strategic Planning and Development Committees. Kevin and Lisa were blessed to take their family to Rome last year for The Papal Foundation’s pilgrimage which included an audience with Pope Francis.

Kevin and Lisa have been instrumental in bringing FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, an outreach program for American college students to Lehigh University.

Influenced by her annual childhood summers at Camp Auxilium, Newton, Lisa maintains a connection to the Salesian Sisters, sponsors of the camp. Her involvement includes the “adoption” of Sisters and providing financial support for children to attend Camp Auxilium. Salesians are currently enrolled at Assumption College for Sisters.

In addition, the Claytons recognize the needs of the Diocese of Metuchen and her Bishop in fulfilling its mission through leadership support of the Annual Appeal.

Excerpted from a recent Assumption College for Sisters press release.

Lisa and Kevin Clayton —Courtesy photo

‘Shroud’ film investigates verity of Christ’s burial cloth

By Christina Leslie Contributing Editor

With director Robert Orlando declaring his film as “the most transformative true crime story,” and his journey of discovery punctuated with stark black and white imagery, one might forgive an audience member for thinking they had accidentally stumbled upon an episode of “CSI: Turin.”

The standing-room-only crowd inside the parish hall of Our Lady of Peace Feb. 25 were instead witnessing one man’s journey of faith via a screening of the new documentary “The Shroud: Face to Face” (2023). Father Michael Krull, pastor of the North Brunswick faith community, explained why he and fellow cleric Father Michael Fragoso served as co-sponsors of the screening of the 116-minute film.

“When we saw that this film was available, we thought it was a great thing to look at during this season of Lent,” said Father Krull, “and to see the history of this item that so many people have been fascinated about over the centuries.”

Father Fragoso, pastor of Parish of the Visitation, New Brunswick, had met Orlando, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, and learned of his investigation of the Shroud. “I invited him to speak at St. Mary’s and when the film came out, knew we had to have him,” the priest said.

The Shroud of Turin, a 14 by 3-foot linen burial shroud, bears a faint image of what many believe is the crucified Christ. Though the Church has not definitely claimed the Shroud’s authenticity, many popes have venerated it in its home at the Cathedral of Turin, Italy. With the aid of clerics and ancient biblical texts, as well as scientists and modern forensic methods, the film aims to supply all the tools needed for faithful to decide for themselves whether this is the actual burial shroud of Jesus.

The film, presented in a first-person narrative, details Orlando’s extensive travels to arrive at the truth and gain knowledge from numerous scholars. He admitted he did not initially intend to examine the Shroud at all during a prescreening interview with The Catholic Spirit.

“I had no interest in it and thought it was just another relic,” the filmmaker said. “I wasn’t sure about it, but my father’s death during Covid [caused] a retreat back. This became a way to investigate my faith in the historical Jesus… I looked into it and it grabbed me.”

A lively question-and-answer period followed the film, where Orlando dove deeper into his research and conversations with biblical experts. Encouraging each audience member to carefully analyzed both facts and beliefs, his inscription in each book he signed read, “Face the Shroud and decide for yourself!”

Viewers expressed their appreciation for the documentary, including fellow members of Our Lady of Peace Parish, Estelle Lambert and Carol Barillo.

“It was awesome,” said Lambert. “I had a lot of questions to be answered.” Barillo added, “It was very interesting.”

Parish of the Visitation’s Carol Bocchieri attended an interview with Orlando and Father Andrew Dalton, a professor of theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, who appears in the film. “I was eager to come back,” she said.

Religious Teacher Filippini Sister Frances Gervasio, who ministers in Parish of the Visitation, recalled that her eighth-grade teacher had had a deep devotion to the Shroud under its name as the Holy Face.

“The nuns all had strong faith in the Holy Face,” Sister Frances said. “They gave us medals. This film gave me more information and brought back good memories.”

For further information see TheShroudFilm.com

Eucharistic Revival develops ‘Invite One Back’ initiative

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – As part of the parish year of their National Eucharistic Revival, the U.S. bishops are encouraging parish leaders to reach out to lapsed Catholics and invite them back to Mass. The “Invite One Back” initiative is aimed in large part at the many people who didn’t return to the pews after the COVID-19 pandemic restricted in-person Mass attendance in 2020.

In a letter to parish leaders, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, and chairman of the board of

the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., wrote, “Our efforts in evangelization and inviting Catholics back to Mass are not just about increasing numbers or filling pews. Rather, our efforts are about guiding people to intimate encounters with Jesus Christ and leading souls to salvation, allowing them to experience God’s love, mercy, and goodness.”

When it comes to tools for reaching those who have stopped attending Mass, resources found at www.eucharisticrevival.org/invite-one-back include letter and postcard templates as well as scripts for starting phone calls with former parishioners. Creativity and personalization are encouraged in these conversations with the goal to listen to the individual and meet them where they are.

Bishop visits St. Joseph Parish, blesses restored towers

Act of Contrition is affirmation of God’s loving mercy, Pope says

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – A Christian’s awareness of being sinful should be directly proportional to their “perception of the infinite love of God,” Pope Francis said.

“The more we sense God’s tenderness, the more we desire to be in full communion with him and the more evident the ugliness of evil in our lives becomes,” the Pope said in a speech written for priests and seminarians attending a course on confession offered by the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican tribunal that deals with matters of conscience.

Priests whose main ministry is hearing confessions in the major basilicas of Rome also attended the audience March 8. The Pope’s text, which he did not read but was distributed to participants, focused on the Act of Contrition, the prayer that penitents recite during the sacrament of reconciliation.

The awareness of God’s love and mercy, the Pope wrote, “pushes us to reflect on ourselves and our actions, and to convert.”

“Let’s remember that God never tires of forgiving us and that we should never tire of asking him for pardon,” he said.

Pope Francis wrote that “it is beautiful” when a penitent, reciting the Act of Contrition, recognizes that God is “all good and deserving of all my love.”

The prayer means that the penitent promises to put God at the center of everything, making God “the foundation of every order of values, entrusting everything to Him,” the Pope wrote. And making love for God first also means loving

the people and the planet God created, always seeking what is best for them.

Making their act of contrition, penitents also say, “I firmly resolve with the help of thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.”

“These words express an intention, not a promise,” Pope Francis wrote.

“None of us can promise God not to sin again,” he said, so “what is required to receive forgiveness is not a guarantee of impeccability, but a real resolution, made with righteous intention at the moment of one’s confession. Moreover, it is a commitment we always make with humility, as the words – ‘with the help of thy grace’ – emphasize.”

In confessing and seeking forgiveness, the Pope wrote, penitents recognize that “God is mercy; mercy is his name, his face. It’s good for us to always remember that in every act of mercy, in every act of love, the face of God shines through.”

The ministry of a priest in the confessional “is beautiful and crucial because it allows you to help so many brothers and sisters experience the sweetness of God’s love,” he wrote to the priests and seminarians. “So, I encourage you to live every confession as a unique and unrepeatable moment of grace and to generously give the Lord’s forgiveness with courtesy, paternity and, dare I say, with maternal tenderness.”

Pope Francis also asked them to pray and help prepare people so that the celebration of the Holy Year 2025 “will see the Father’s mercy flourish in many hearts and in many places so that God would be always more loved, recognized and praised.”

Lent and Holy Week collections

During this season of Lent, a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, keep in mind the retired clergy of the Diocese of Metuchen, who, after a lifetime of service to God’s people, rely on those same faithful for help so they may live their retirement in dignity, with essential care and housing. The Retirement Collection for Diocesan Clergy, which takes place on Palm Sunday weekend, March 23-24, is designated exclusively to support the Maria Regina residence for retired diocesan priests.

The Holy Land Collection scheduled on Good Friday, March 29, supports the Commissariat of the Holy Land which is responsible for the preservation of the shrines of the Holy Land and the Sacred Congregation of Oriental Churches, in addition to all those pastoral, charitable, educational and social works which the Church supports in the Holy Land for the welfare of their Christian brethren and of the local communities.

For more information on the Pontifical Good Friday Collection visit myfranciscan.org/pontifical-good-friday-collection/

Pope Francis blesses crucifixes for a participant in a Vatican course on confession of fered by the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican tribunal that deals with matters of conscience, March 8, 2024, in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. —CNS photo/Vatican Media

Bishop James F. Checchio made a pastoral visit to St. Jospeh Parish, North Plainfield where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the Second Sunday of Lent, Feb. 24, and blessed the parish’s restored towers. The story of the parish church restoration is on page 14.

—Mark Lee photo

A woman prays during Mass for the repose of the soul of Pope Benedict XVI at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City Jan. 1, 2023. —OSV News/Gregory A. Shemitz

A Restoration Story: St. Joseph Church, North Plainfield

Saint Joseph Church, a 1910 Richardson Romanesque style church, was designed by Joseph A. Jackson (18611940) from New York City. It was the first church built in the then newly formed Trenton Diocese. The actual parish was officially founded on Sept. 24, 1882. Both corner stones are at the front façade of the church.

Restoration, a five-year process which began in 2018, became necessary when a large section of copper broke free from the north tower dome and was blown away by the north winds that prevail at the 88-foot tower height. Although the loose copper was secured

by a steeple jack numerous times, it continually broke free, as the wooden structure of the dome was dry rotted. This discovery sparked the process of getting quotes for the needed repairs to address the domes, stonework, painting, stained glass windows and other needed repairs for the 110-year-old structure.

Permissions were granted to move forward on fundraising, as well as triple bids secured from all the potential trades that would be involved in the project. Once all of these steps were completed, including obtaining insurance retainers, a final selection of contractors was made and fund raising continued. Unfortu-

nately, the north tower dome continued to deteriorate as several hard winters passed followed by heavy summer rains. Finally, on July 5, 2023, work began.

The stone repointing was first. All of the porous mortar joints between stones was ground out and repointed with new cement. A “milk product” chemical was added to the cement to make it waterproof. This prevented any more leaks through the stone joints. The stonework restoration was a large component of the overall project with seven masons working six days a week. This work included both the stonework and moving and rebuilding scaffolding all the way around

the exterior of the church.

The scaffolding firm from north Jersey had engineered a way to wrap the north tower so all of the trades that needed to use the staging could: painters, masons, coppersmiths, and steeplejacks who hailed from Connecticut. Once the various trades were able to reach the upper levels of the tower, both under and above the dome, a true assessment could be made concerning the actual dome restoration work that would be required.

The hole in the dome went through the wood top and all support rafters making it an easy home for nesting birds. The 14-penny weight copper from 1910 had so disintegrated that it just gave way. The north tower dome was disassembled and rebuilt with new beams, sheeting and then finished with ice and water shield material. Twenty- penny weight copper was fabricated and installed over the next month.

Meanwhile all wood and metal surfaces were scraped, caulked and painted. Stone pointing continued and additional carpentry and painting was completed on the dome underside. The new 23-carat gold leafed cross was set in place on the north tower on Sept. 8, 2023.

The scaffolding was disassembled and moved to the south tower on Sept. 19, 2023. This initiated the continuation of the process begun on the north tower. Since all work had been completed regarding the bulk of the exterior renovation, all work became focused on the south tower.

While numerous issues arose, the previous work on the north tower helped to speed the work along. The gilded cross for the south tower was set and blessed on Nov. 8, 2023.

All work was complete on Nov. 13, 2023 – a completion time of 139 days with 35 men and one woman as project manager. The scaffolding was removed the following week just in time for Thanksgiving.

The support from the parish in prayer and contributions has been remarkable. St. Joseph in North Plainfield now stands as a beacon to both its parishioners and the wider communities surrounding her.

The contractors involved in the process believe the church’s exterior is good for another one hundred and fifty years.

Compiled by Mary Morrell, editorin-chief, through an interview with Meg Poltorak Keyes, project manager and design consultant, as well as a longtime member of St. Joseph Parish, North Plainfield. Keyes, who holds a BFA from Caldwell University has also completed liturgical design projects, including full interior and exterior renovations, for the parishes of Our Lady of Victories, Sayreville; St. Mary-Stony Hill, Watchung; St. Charles Borromeo, Skillman; St. Thomas the Apostle, Old Bridge, and Corpus Christi, South River.

Top left, Bishop James F. Checchio greets Meg Poltorak Keyes, project manager for the St. Joseph Parish restoration, at the Feb. 24 Mass and blessing of the church towers. Top right, St. Joseph Church construction 1910. Bottom left, masons are repointing the south clearstory; middle, masons are working on the front façade and scaffolding on the north tower; Right, St. Joseph Church almost complete 1910. —Courtesy photos

At left, a full choir of more than 20 voices, enriched by the sounds of violin and cello, added to the beauty of the installation Mass held March 9 in St. Cecelia Church, Iselin.

Bishop Checchio congratulates a happy Father Nwagwu who said, “I look to God for strength.”

—Mark Lee photos

Bishop Checchio installs Father Deniskingsley Nwagwu as pastor

By Cori Urban

Contributing Editor

Vocationist Father Deniskingsley Nwagwu’s journey to the pastorate of St. Cecilia Church, Iselin, began in his native Nigeria where he was ordained in 2008 and took him through Vermont before he came to New Jersey.

He had been administrator of St. Cecelia’s for 3 ½ years before his March 9 installation as pastor; Metuchen Bishop James Checchio was joined for the celebration by about 18 priests from Father Nwagwu’s religious order, the Society of Divine Vocations; the Diocese of Metuchen; the Archdiocese of Newark; the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont, and from North Carolina.

“Let me not be too prideful, but I felt a sense of pride and support,” Father Nwagwu said. “I felt encouraged. I felt brotherhood. I felt a bond.”

Friends came from Vermont too. “I couldn’t have been more happy. I couldn’t have been more grateful,” he

said. “I felt like a king.”

Father Nwagwu was a high school English teacher in Nigeria and was con sidering medical school when he was invited to apply to the Society of Divine Vocations when he visited the vocation di rector with a friend; after several months decided to apply and was accepted.

After his ordination in Nigeria, he was transferred to the United States, and “leaving home is never an easy thing to do,” he said. “You’re thrown into a new country with a new set of people, new food, a new language — all that.”

He still has friends and a cherished large extended family in Nigeria.

St. Cecilia Parish has about 1,000 registered families, and Father Nwagwu brings to his pastorate there a willingness to consult with others and to keep learning. “When you are being trained in the seminary, nobody can tell you what you are going to see” in parish life, he explained. “So you keep learning every day on the job.”

Though his main strength as a pas-

ments, Father Nwagwu also successfullyID-19 pandemic. It was a stressful time, and the parish came back to life “little by little” under his guidance and with the help of many parishioners. They even planned and executed a year-long 100th anniversary celebration that concluded last year. “With the support of the parish, we did well,” he said.

The pastor does his job to the best of his ability, he noted, and does not compare himself to anyone else. “I look to God for strength and ask questions and do a lot of consulting.”

Father Nwagwu enjoys living in community with three other Vocationist priests at St. James rectory in Woodbridge; he prefers that to living alone. “We have time to sit together and pray, to eat and to share recreation,” he said. “I love living in community, maybe because I was brought up that way,” added the priest who has more than 40 nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

He considers himself a missionary priest, helping dioceses where the number of active clergy has declined, especially in Vermont. “The worst thing that can happen in Vermont is it snows and you have to go somewhere to say Mass,” more than 20 miles away, he said.

Now that he is pastor in Iselin, Father Nwagwu would like to begin a capital campaign with an eye on replacing the more than 35-year-old church roof.

The Society of Divine Vocations was founded by Blessed Justin Maria Russolillo in Italy in 1920.

The Vocationist Fathers’ main charism is identifying and fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life, especially among the less privileged.

The Vocationist Fathers first arrived in the United States in 1962. In 2017, it became a quasi province with 12 parishes in four East Coast states. The Father Justin Vocationary in Florham Park is the spiritual house of the quasi province.

For more information on the Vocationists, go to Vocationistfathers.org.

Top photo: Some 18 priests from multiple dioceses and several states joined Bishop James F. Checchio as concelebrants for the Mass of Installation in honor of Father Deniskingsley Nwagwu’s new role as pastor of St. Cecelia Parish, Iselin.

Deborah and Ruth: A reflection on courage, faith, loyalty

The story of Deborah, judge and prophetess, is recounted in both prose and song in Chapters 4 and 5 of the book of Judges. She successfully led a revolt against Canaanite domination in the north of Israel. The wife of Lappidoth, Deborah was a judge, a woman whose moral authority was seen as inspired by the Lord.

She was often seen under a tree between Bethel and Ramah where people would approach her to settle their disputes. At this time, northern Israel had been oppressed for twenty years by Jabin the Canaanite, king of Hazor, who did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (Judg. 4:1) Commanded by God, Deborah sent for Barak from the tribe of Napthali in the highlands of the Galilee.

In the prose version of this call to arms, Deborah told Barak to gather the men of Napthali and Zebulun to conquer the Jezreel Valley which had been occupied by the Canaanites. In the song account of the story of Deborah, all the tribes of Israel were called to fight. Those that refused to assist were recipients of her wrath.

When Deborah summoned Barak to take command, he responded that he would only do so if she accompanied

him. Without hesitation, she agreed. The Canaanite leader, Sisera assembled an army and advanced to the Canaanite strongholds of Megiddo and Taanach. But Lord sent a storm which flooded the Kishon River which turned the land into a plain of mud. Both chariots and horses were trapped in the mud, which opened the way for the Israelites to descend on these Canaanites and wipe them out. As a result of this victory, the reign of King Jabin was brought to an end. And the land of the north enjoyed 40 years of peace.

The book of Ruth tells the tale of the loving relationship between the Israelite widow, Naomi, and her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth. This story is set in the llth century B.C., about the same time as the Book of Judges. During the time of famine, Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, leave their native Bethlehem and cross over the Dead Sea to the land of Moab.

There, Naomi’s sons take Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, as their wives.

In Moab, Elimelech died, followed by his two sons. Naomi urged her daughters-inlaw to return to their own families as she intended to go back to Bethlehem. Orpah did return to her family while Ruth im-

plored Naomi to allow her to remain at her side.

Upon their return to Palestine, the harvest of wheat and barley was taking place. Ruth went into the fields to glean the ears of corn left by the reapers. She also entered the barley patch owned by Boaz, a wealthy relative of Naomi’s deceased husband. Boaz was attracted to Ruth. He was so taken by her that he invited her to take whatever she wished from his land.

When Ruth returned to Naomi with a whole bushel of barley and some other food given to her, she told Naomi how Boaz was kind to her. Being a relative of Elimelech, Boaz had the right of redemption to take Ruth as his wife, as there were no other living siblings of her husband.

Naomi encouraged Ruth to go back to the field and continue to work as nobody would bother her. She did as instructed. On her mother-in-law’s advice, she went to Boaz at night when he would work the threshing floor. When Boaz laid down to sleep, Ruth approached him and identified him as next of kin with the right of redemption. But Boaz said that there was another kinsman who had a closer relation to her deceased husband and had the right to redemption first.

We are candles lit from the Light of Christ

I recently read a beautiful description of the Church: “The Church is like the moon. She does not shine with her own light but reflects the light of Christ. Indeed, just as the moon without the sun is dark, opaque, and invisible, so too is the Church if she separates herself from Christ, true God and true man.”

This comparison is familiar to me, for many writers applied it to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a beautiful comparison, and it accurately describes how the moon shines so brightly.

The moon in its fullness is a beautiful sight as it shines with a gentleness that is very reassuring.

To compare Mary and the Church to the moon shows the resplendent glory of each while teaching us that their beauty comes from a far greater Glory, a Glory that is infinite and infinitely beyond our gaze.

We can look at the moon, but we cannot safely look at the sun, for we would be blinded. In the same way, we can contemplate Mary and the Church, but when we try to look directly at God, the source of their beauty, we are totally

dazzled, and our minds are reduced to numbness.

Also, at this time of the Church’s liturgical year, the moon has a special meaning for us. The moon establishes the date of Easter, for Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.

That is why the date of Easter varies so much from year to year. As we draw closer to Easter, we see the moon waxing towards its fullest beauty.

The moon that we watch so closely is the Paschal Moon, the moon that announces the Passover from Holy Thursday to Good Friday to Easter Sunday.

The full moon lights up Holy Thursday. It signals the Passover meal that Jesus longed to eat with his disciples. It lights the path to Gethsemane. Its light falls on the crowd of soldiers who came to arrest Jesus, and though its light was bright, it was not bright enough for those who sought him to identify Jesus.

For this reason, Judas needed to identify Jesus, to single him out from his disciples and mark him with a kiss The full moon also reminds us that the world was plunged into darkness when the sun was darkened on Good Friday and all light had gone out of life.

And yet, it is not the light of the moon that we look for when Easter comes. We begin to celebrate Easter during the night, when all lights have been extinguished and we stand alone in the darkness.

If he did not act on this, Boaz said that he would take Ruth as his wife. As it were, the other relative opted not to marry Ruth and passed his right of redemption to Boaz. Once married, Ruth bore him a son, Obed, who was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Everyone admired how Ruth stayed with her mother-in-law, and whose love was worth more than seven sons. Thus Ruth, the Moabite girl, became the great-grandmother of King David.

During this time of reflection on the passion of Christ, we should recall that standing at the foot of the Cross were strong, brave and faithful women, much like Deborah and Ruth. Mary, Mary of Cleopas and Mary Magdalene summon us to repeat the words that have echoed through the centuries: “We adore you, o Christ, and we praise you. For by your Holy Cross, you have redeemed the world.”

Father Comandini is coordinator of the Office for Ongoing Faith Formation

Sophie Sandolo, 10, holds a candle prior to receiving the sacraments of initiation during the Easter Vigil at St. John the Evangelist Church in Center Moriches, N.Y., April 8, 2023. —OSV News photo/Gregory A. Shemitz

We, like Mary Magdalen and the other holy women, are guided to come to the sepulcher while it is still dark. We have within us a hope that is unseen but that shines in the darkness of our faith.

The light that we seek is the light born from the darkness of the tomb, the new fire that is struck in the darkness at the back of the Church, a fire that did not exist before, but which begins to shine now as it is hailed by all present: Lumen Christi! The Light of Christ!

That light blossoms on the Paschal Candle to shed light on all the world. Its flame passes from the Paschal Candle, spreading out to the candles of all those

present without losing any of its glory!

As the Exultet sings, it is “A fire into many flames divided yet never dimmed by sharing of its light.” The light of Christ may seem small, yet it can give itself unstintingly to every person willing to receive it.

The moon is indeed very beautiful, but I would rather be a candle. The moon only reflects light, it doesn’t receive it. A candle receives light, for candles are lit by the Son.

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

Father McGuffey installed by Bishop as pastor of Annunciation Parish

By Deacon Patrick Cline Correspondent

The Church of the Annunciation community, Bloomsbury, formally welcomed Father James W. McGuffey, March 10, when Bishop James F. Checchio celebrated the Mass of Installation making him their pastor.

Bishop Checchio served as principal celebrant and homilist for the Mass. Joining Father McGuffey as a concelebrant was Father James A. Kyrpczak, pastor, St. Joseph Parish, High Bridge.

In his homily, Bishop Checchio shared with the congregation that in his almost 20 years in Rome, both as a student and later as vice-rector and rector of the North American College, he had the opportunity to hear Pope St. John Paul II many times. He remembers that once the Holy Father said, “The first duty of a priest is to be a believer, to be someone his people can believe with, not in, but with.”

“As your Bishop I want you to know that I happily do believe and I also happily entrust you to another believer, your new pastor, Father McGuffey.” The Bishop mentioned the many times in a parish’s life when the pastor stands with his people, both individually and in community, from Baptism, through the other sacraments and all of life’s events.

Father McGuffey was the third of five children born to Drake and Rita McGuffey. He was born in Carle Place, Long Island, where he attended St. Brigid School and Carle Place High School. While receiving a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Queens College he discerned a call to the priesthood.

Father McGuffey worked for a number of years while discerning his vocation. During that period he also worked as a lay missionary in Mexico. After entering the Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Conn., he completed his studies for the priesthood. He received a Master of Divinity degree and was ordained in 1995.

Prior to being named pastor at Annunciation Parish, Father McGuffey served as a parochial vicar at the parishes of St. Mary, Alpha; St. Ambrose, Old

Bridge; St. Philip and St. James, Phillipsburg; Our Lady of Lourdes, Milltown, and Immaculate Conception, Spotswood. Father McGuffey also served as pastor of the Carteret parishes of St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth.

Father McGuffey described Annunciation as, “A true parish family caring for one another.” He described being appointed pastor, “as one of the many moments of grace that I have been blessed with throughout my life. Having a parish dedicated to Mary is more than a blessing, because our consecration to her is, I believe, the renewal of the priesthood.”

Bishop Checchio also expressed the need for more men to consider a call to the priesthood and asked the congregation to continue praying for an increase in vocations. Before the Final Blessing the Bishop introduced a member of the congregation as one of the Diocese’s new seminarians. Kevin Synarsky, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Parish, Spotswood. Synarsky will begin his propaedeutic year of preparation this summer. This year is designed as a period to help ease the transition from the secular world to seminary life for young men beginning their journey towards priesthood.

At the end of the Mass, Father McGuffey expressed his gratitude to Bishop Checchio for his confidence in appointing him as pastor, and thanked parishioners for their very warm welcome and support. Father McGuffey recalled visiting the parish 20 years ago and how impressed he was at that time. Last year, after being informed by the Bishop that he would be named as pastor, he decided to pay an informal visit to the parish. “As I was driving up Main Street I had this feeling that I was coming home,” he said.

The closing hymn of the Mass was sung by Father McGuffey’s older brother, Rob, who was also the composer. He wrote the hymn, “I Will Follow You,” in honor of his brother’s Ordination and for his Mass of Thanksgiving the next day. Rob recalled, “I knew my brother was gong to be a priest. What other nineyear-old do you know who reads the ‘Imitation of Christ’?”

Senior Care at Home

The faith community of Annunciation Parish, Bloomsbury, rejoiced as Father James W. McGuffey was named pastor March 10. From top, Father McGuffey served as concelebrant of the Mass along with (on right) Father James A. Kyrpczak, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, High Bridge; center, Bishop James F. Checchio consecrates the host, and bottom, the congregation extends a warm welcome to their latest shepherd. Ed Koskey photos

Leap Year Baby

Saint Peter’s University Hospital, Somerset, was happy to announce its own “leapling” for 2024. Gianna Santana Perez, 7 lbs 9 oz, was born at 1:41 pm Feb. 29, making her the hospital’s Leap Day baby. Gianna is the first child of Arianna Perez Cepeda and Alphany Santana of Somerset. According to mom Arianna, “To have our baby girl born on Leap Day is a lucky and unique experience for our family. We are excited to celebrate her upcoming birthdays on

Knights ‘Fore’ Charity

Recently, Mother Seton Council #15540 of the Knights of Columbus, which meets at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Three Bridges, continued to distribute the funds it raised during the fall 2023 charity golf outing which was held at Heron Glen Golf Course. This yearly event netted over $6,000 to benefit multiple charitable causes. The Council allocated $500 to Crossroads4Hope (www.Crossroads4Hope.org) this year from these proceeds, matching last year’s donation. Crossroads4Hope provides support, encouragement, assistance navigating the healthcare system and educational information to those members of the community and their families who are dealing with a diagnosis of cancer. This local organization has helped area families for more than twenty years and is affiliated with the Cancer Support Community (www. cancersupportcommunity.org), a national organization with similar goals. To learn more about Knights of Columbus Council #15540 visit www.kofc15540.org.

Knight Mike Schuler presenting a check to Amy Sutton, CEO for Crossroads4Hope, a cancer support organization. —Courtesy photo

SHOW UP

SHOVE OVER

SHUT DOWN

Religious sisters from around the Diocese gathered in St. Joseph Parish, Hillsborough, Feb. 24 for a day which turned the tables on their ministry, encouraging those who give so much to instead reap the benefits of being on the receiving end of spiritual succor. Focused upon the visit of Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth while both awaited the births of their sons, “The Visitation, Community and Mercy” reminded at tendees of the importance of tending to their own source of strength and faith in order to be most effective to all.

The program of readings, prayer, music, reflection, penance and the sacri fice of Holy Mass was the second of four such days organized to care for those who care for others.

Using a mix of observations on the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, along with anecdotes from his decades of ser vice as a Jesuit, then diocesan priest, Fa ther Hilton, pastor of the hosting parish, explored the three directives necessary

Father Hilton reminded the assembled that sometimes, there is no need for great words of wisdom, just your presence is beneficial. Mary’s visit to Elizabeth was a moment of affirmation, he asserted.

“God gives you the grace to do to members of your community what Mary did for Elizabeth,” the priest said. “Notice the ways God helps you to just show up. It’s a great flow of mutual affirmation, an act of great generosity and complete joy.

“It’s not easy to just show up,” Father Hilton admitted. “I believe in you, I believe in your vocation. There is always someone with whom you need to spend a little more time.”

When someone shows up unexpectantly, those already there have to make room for the newcomer. Sitting alongside someone, or going for a walk with them often prompts the most amazing discussions, the priest said.

“Take a chance and admit you don’t have all the answers. It’s about revelation,” he said. Reminding the congregation that Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months, he continued, “They probably had many ‘shove over’ moments, moments to tell the truth. Mary spills her guts to let Elizabeth know her relationship with God; she took a chance.”

Addressing the religious, Father Hilton continued, “It takes extraordinary generosity when you speak, and great generosity of those who listen.”

Despite her obligations back home, Mary stayed with her cousin for three months; she stopped like nothing else mattered. Father Hilton recommended the religious to follow her example, to “just pay attention to you right now.”

A luncheon was held in the gaily decorated parish hall, which was adorned with multiple artistic depictions of the Visitation. Religious sisters celebrating milestone anniversaries were recognized during the luncheon.

Sister of Christian Charity Anna Nguyen, diocesan delegate for religious, explained the need for such gatherings for the many religious who serve the parishes, schools, retreat houses, social service agencies and administrative offices of the Diocese of Metuchen.

“Renewal is always so important,” Sister Anna began. “Our Church provides us with opportunities in Advent and Lent, the two times we gather for a chance of renewal and grace, to journey together as a community larger than our own. Our Diocese only has one way to go – that is, to our Heavenly Father – and will be accompanied by our Heavenly Mother, Mary of Nazareth. There is no other companion we would ever want for deepening conversion and renewal.”

Women religious from throughout the Diocese and beyond (top) united in St. Joseph Parish, Hillsborough, Feb. 24 for a Day of Reflection. The program of meetings, prayer, music, reflection, penance and the sacrifice of Holy Mass was led by parish pastor, Father Hank Hilton (left). —John Batkowski photos

Sts. Philip and James School cancer fundraiser bolstered by teacher, cancer survivor

By Anthony Salamone Correspondent

Like other schools in the Metuchen Diocese, students and faculty at Sts. Philip & James School hold various fundraisers to bolster operating expenses and advancement costs.

The Warren County school also sup ports the community by raising money toward the St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Cancer Center. The Pennsyl vania-based hospital, which also owns facilities in New Jersey, including the former Warren Hospital in Phillipsburg, received more than $500 from the school community last fall toward St. Luke’s breast cancer program, according to Sara Siano, vice principal and advancement director.

This school year, one faculty member offered the Sts. Philip and James community her locks toward raising even bigger bucks toward beating cancer.

The school planned an assembly this month to mark the hair shaving of Maria Perna, whose generosity helped raise about $1,400 in donations by the time this story went to press, Siano said, making it the largest single cancer fundraiser. Hair stylist Shellie Murdock, from Art of Hair in Phillipsburg was donating her time to buzz Perna’s dark locks, according to Siano.

Going bald for a cause is nothing new for Perna, 49, a language arts teacher and reading specialist, who joined Sts. Philip and James for the 2023-24 school year. She did it for St, Baldrick’s Foundation, which also raises funds for people affected by childhood cancers.

Teachers in Sts. Philip and James School, Phillipsburg, proved they were a cut above when they raised over $2,000 for St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Cancer Center by buzzing and coloring their locks. Pictured is teacher Maria Perna before and after her philanthropic makeover. Perna successfully battled cancer while in high school. —Courtesy photos

Perna had finished her freshman year at Phillipsburg High School in June 1989 when she was diagnosed with a form of leukemia that affects white blood cells. The cancer starts in the bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside the bones where blood cells are produced, according to the Mayo Clinic website.

“When you go through cancer, it’s almost like a grieving process,” Perna said during a recent interview. “You go through the whiny; you get angry. And then you have to put your big girl pants on and get up and say, ‘This is what I was dealt, and this is what I have to do.”

The cancer diagnosis initially devastated the teenage Perna both medically and emotionally, but she has been cancer free since 1997. She said she is grateful for every day, but what Perna has accomplished is nothing short of miraculous in overcoming not just cancer.

Complications from her cancer treatments led to her dealing with another disease – avascular necrosis – which in her case, damaged bones in both her hips. She has had her hips replaced twice, among other medical issues.

Eventually, the resident of Easton, Pennsylvania, earned a college degree,

got married, reared three daughters with her husband, Giovanni Perna, and has had careers in teaching and healthcare. She also has offered help and support to those who are struggling with cancer.

When she reached 20 years of being cancer free, Perna raised $4,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has also participated in a half-marathon, despite the replacement hips. “To come around the final bend and see my family waiting and cheering me on, I can’t tell you the feeling,” she said.

Her strong belief in God has sustained Perna through the trials of life.

“I felt God placed me in this path,” said Perna, a member of Phillipsburg’s St. Philip & St. James Parish.

“I don’t know what I would do without my faith,” she said. “When things are going wrong and I feel like God is testing me, I always say there is a reason for this.”

How would she use having her hair cut as a teachable moment? What advice does she give schoolchildren in her effort to spread cancer awareness?

Perna shows her left forearm, with a tattoo of a song title “No Day but Today” from the rock musical “Rent.”

“I think what children need to know, aside from cancer, is that the next day is not guaranteed,” she said. “I teach my kids I live by this.”

Her dark hair used to descend to her waist; she fretted when cancer caused her to lose much of it. But she’s still willing to part with what hair she has and go bald, if it can help someone else who is dealing with cancer.

“This is more important than me growing my hair,” she said.

St. James School student wins the N. J. Patriots Pen Essay Contest

By John Falcone Special Contributor

Every year the Veterans of Foreign Wars sponsors a youth essay competition which gives students an opportunity to express their views on an annual patriotic theme. This year’s theme was “How are you inspired by America?” Thousands of students from New Jersey entered this year’s competition at the district level with the district winners competing at the state-level competition. On Feb. 10, Natalia Hekiert, a seventh grader at St. James School, Basking Ridge, was named this year’s state champion in the Patriots Pen Essay Contest in Toms River.

In her state-winning essay, Natalia opened with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

Throughout her essay, Hekiert focused on political, religious, and cultural

freedoms which is her inspiration. “As an American, I can find comfort in practicing my religion and culture without fear of persecution. I am greatly inspired by America to partake in choosing political leaders to ensure a better life for current and future generations. I am proud to be an American!” stated Hekiert.

When asked about the award, Hekiert remarked, “I felt incredibly honored and excited when I found out I won the Patriot’s Pen essay for the state of New Jersey. It was a mixture of surprise, joy, and a sense of accomplishment.” Her essay was picked for first place out of the other seventeen districts in the state. Hekiert’s essay will now enter the national competition against the other states’ winners for top national honors earning a trip to Washington D.C. and the top prize, a scholarship of $5,000.

John Falcone serves as director of Admissions in St. James School, Basking Ridge.

—Courtesy photo

VFW State Commander, Jeff Walding and Auxiliary President Alice Sandman present Natalia Hekiert with the plaque for her first-place honors for the Patriots Pen Award.

Annual memorial Mass brings together Immaculata High School community

Nearly 300 alumni, family members and friends of deceased members of the Immaculata High School community, Somerville, gathered in prayer for their loved ones at the 20th annual Spartan Memorial Mass held Feb. 25 at the high school.

The Mass was celebrated by Msgr. Joseph Celano, Church of the Immaculate Conception pastor and director of the parish’s two schools. Family members of recently deceased members of the Immaculata community carried blue and white carnations to the altar in a touching tribute.

Many of those who have passed on were remembered in gifts to the school’s Guardian Angel Scholarship Fund, which makes possible tuition assistance for deserving current students. Principal Ed Webber, himself a graduate of the high school, remarked that the halls of the school are alive with the legacies of those who have gone before through the prayers and generosity of alumni, family

members and friends.

Nearly 800 Immaculata family members were remembered by name in the Mass program. The school’s music program provided vocal and instrumental accompaniment.

In his closing remarks after the Memorial Mass, Terry Kuboski, ‘69, retired faculty and Hall of Fame ’23, recalled that, throughout the years, “This Mass has evolved into an annual gathering of alumni, and families, mourning spouses, parents, teachers, siblings and classmates. We look to the right or left of us and see individuals, new to grief or seasoned veterans of loss. We are Spartan Prayer Warriors, gathered to draw strength from each other. The readings, the homily, the liturgy and closing remarks speak to our faith, providing inspiration for navigating this difficult path.”

Submitted by Stacey Geary, ‘91, IHS Marketing and Communications assistant.

Above, nearly 300 people gathered in Immaculata High School, Somerville, for the annual Spartan Memorial Mass, celebrated, bottom photo, by Msgr. Joseph G. Celano, pastor, Immaculate Conception Parish, Somerville, and director of the parish’s two schools. —Courtesy photos

The Catholic Spirit sends its heartfelt appreciation to those generous parishioners throughout the Diocese of Metuchen who shared their treasure with us during Catholic Press Month. Your support is an affirmation of our work. It enables us to bring you stories to nourish your faith, news of our Diocese and its parishes and regular coverage of our Bishop’s ministry.

Thank you for being part of our mission to share the Good News of our Diocese and the Church.

To subscribe to the newspaper for home delivery contact Mary Gregory at 732-529-7934 or mgregory@diometuchen.org.

Converting Lenten disciplines into the mission of Easter

By Msgr. Joseph J. Kerrigan Special Contributor

Writer Justin Bartkus observes, “The Lenten journey is not like a year of elementary school, not an exercise in rote obedience. The Lenten laws, rules and lists in fact signal the re-inauguration of the one Christian journey, repeated each Passiontide and across our entire lives.”

So, do we see Lent in this or any kind of bigger context that has potential for profound momentum and continuity?

Or do we look at Lent as a private, self-contained unit, with Holy Week and Easter Sunday as the unofficial finish lines? When Easter arrives, do we toss aside our seasonal disciplines and spiritual progress as easily as a sacristan returns violet Lenten vestments and worship aids for the Stations of the Cross to the back shelves of the sacristy? Do we nonchalantly welcome back our preLenten status quo as smoothly as we resume singing the refrain “Alleluia?”

What if, instead, we viewed Easter life as a vast harvest time for the good seeds we planted in those preceding 40-plus days? Or Easter as the rocket booster for a continuing journey now also fueled by the uniquely new hope, energy and courage prompted by celebration of the Resurrection?

Pope Francis titled his 2024 Lenten message, “Through the Desert God Leads Us to Freedom.” Although the Pope focused on the “desert” of Lent, he strongly implied that Easter and beyond is the time for freedom. “New energies” get released in keeping various dimensions of Lent. As examples, the Pope cited becoming more like brothers and sisters, more sensitive to one another, people who see each other as companions and fellow travelers rather than threats or enemies.

In chapter 49 of his Rule, the great St. Benedict wished that “the life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent,” while acknowledging that this would prove difficult. However, there are apostolic reasons, well beyond monastic walls, for carrying something of Lent forward into the future.

Hopefully, Lent 2024 has proven to be a time when there’s been some spiritual or apostolic renewal, revitalization, perhaps even rebirth in faith. Maybe, for example, you’ve gone deeper in a certain prayer practice during Lent or performed some almsgiving at a local charitable organization that really sparked your passion. Continuing these actions, and sharing this good news you’ve experienced, within the circles of family,

friends and fellow parishioners are very easy applications in transitioning from Lent to Easter.

One of the expressions for Easter is “pasch,” from the same root for the word passage. As Easter celebrates the passage from death to resurrected life in Christ, what other – more personal – God-inspired passages can be celebrated and shared during this time? In such fashion of sharing, the ripple of evangelizing activity begins. Thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit, our simple sharing can perhaps be received by another as an invitation to consider the Good News of Jesus Christ more deeply in their lives.

Surveying our world today, with its many woes and unleashed evils, there’s no time to waste in brandishing all of our tried-and-true faith practices, whenever and wherever we first experienced them – Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time, etc. – for God’s glory, the good of our neighbor, and the betterment of our world. Carrying forward our Lenten graces into the mission of Easter is a fine way to celebrate Easter – and the rest of our Christian lives. “Go, therefore, and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19).

Msgr. Kerrigan is pastor of St. Joseph Church, Bound Brook, and a founding member of the World Community of Christian Mediation contemplative clergy network.

What if, instead, we viewed Easter life as a vast harvest time for the good seeds we planted in those preceding 40-plus days?

From Lent to Easter

Christ’s entry into Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion is depicted in a stained-glass window at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Centereach, N.Y. Palm Sunday, also known Passion Sunday, commemorates the event and marks the beginning of Holy Week. It is observed March 24 in 2024.

Christ’s tomb is depicted in a stained-glass window at St. Patrick Church in Smithtown, N.Y. Easter, the feast of the Resurrection, is April 9 in 2023.

Christ’s Crucifixion is depicted in a stained-glass window at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Malverne, N.Y. Good Friday is April 7 in 2023.

The risen Christ is depicted in a stained-glass window at St. Anthony of Padua Church in East Northport, N.Y. Easter, the feast of the Resurrection, is April 9 in 2023.

—OSV News photos/Gregory A. Shemitz

Embracing life’s journey through love, sacrifice and God’s Grace

By Mary Morrell Editor-in-Chief

Years ago, while working together on an Easter story for a monthly newsletter, Bishop Edward T. Hughes looked at a photo of three crosses standing on a distant hill, black silhouettes against a burnt orange sky, and said, almost imperceptibly, “That’s the greatest love story ever told.”

The restrained emotion in his voice became part of a memory that has kept me mindful for some 30 years that love is a tapestry woven with sacrifice and purpose, gratitude and God’s Grace.

Sometimes, if we are paying attention, we get to see that love story played out in the lives of family, friends or colleagues.

I met Art Cichy during my early years in the Diocese of Metuchen. It wasn’t long before I met his wife, Georgianne. They were always together: Art pushing Georgianne’s wheelchair through the diocesan center, attending Mass, in the supermarket or at a parish event. It was memorable to witness because they were always smiling. And there was something special about Georgianne’s smile.

“It was the first gift she gave to me. A smile,” said Art, who shared a quote by Mother Teresa that graced the wall of their home: “We will never know how much just a simple smile will do.”

When Art recalls his life with Georgianne, who lived with Friedreich’s Ataxia – a rare, inherited, progressive disease affecting the nerves and muscles – he often begins at the end, days before she passed away June 25, 2019.

“Georgianne had just received her new

wheelchair … with new features that would make things more comfortable for her,” he said. The couple went for lunch, which is when Georgianne told Art she wasn’t feeling well. Within hours, they were in the JFK Medical Center emergency room.

“She was immediately sent to the ICU. She could still talk, and she told me that her body was failing her,” Art said. “She started talking about her funeral and that she wanted the coffin closed and a Rosary made of pink and red flowers.”

Georgianne had suffered a massive heart attack and was sent to CICU in Hackensack Medical Center. There, she suffered a stroke. “I stayed with her till the morning,” Art said. When he returned in the afternoon, she was on a ventilator and medications, a state she would remain in for the next five days.

“I was glad to see Georgianne with a peaceful look on her face,” said Art, sharing that “she loved God, believed in God and knew the better thing was coming. She couldn’t get it here, but she wanted to get to the next place to have it.”

After talking with her doctors, the decision was made to take her off life support. “I stayed with her till the end and kissed her goodbye. I texted some people that Georgianne is now with God,” Art recalled.

The couple had been married for 42 years, having started dating just months before Georgianne’s 21st birthday.

Georgianne, who had undergone a 12-hour surgery for scoliosis at age 13, had begun seeing a neurologist while

they were still dating. “I went along with her,” said Art, who was there when the neurologist confirmed Friedreich’s Ataxia and spoke with the couple about the road ahead, which would be difficult.

“I didn’t consider it a burden. I was in love with her,” said Art, who felt he was a very selfish person when he first met Georgianne in the 1970s. “I needed a purpose in my life, and she became my purpose. She made life so much easier. Helping her made me happy.”

And Art had plenty of opportunities to do so.

Georgianna spent 36 of their 39 years of marriage in a wheelchair. For the last 20 years of her life, she wore braces on both legs, and hand braces for the last 10 years several times a week. She went to speech therapy because the vocal cord on the right side of her throat was mostly paralyzed. Her vision deteriorated over time, tiredness increased, as she dealt with an enlarged heart, diabetes and muscle spasms.

“Most people looked at me and Georgianne and would say that I was her caregiver. They would not see that, in reality, we were each other’s caregiver,”

said Art. “Georgianne worked extremely hard to make sure I stayed healthy. She did a damn good job of it. I am forever grateful for her care of me. I was blessed to have her for my wife.”

Throughout the hard times, there were exceptional moments of love, gratitude, God’s grace and faith.

In 1995, Georgianne was initiated into the Catholic Church. “My faith came from her. She became Catholic, and I became a better Catholic,” said Art.

On May 20 of that year, the couple renewed their vows in a Catholic church, and continued attending Mass every week until the end. They saw Pope St. John Paul II at Giants Stadium and Pope Benedict XVI at Yankee Stadium in the same place Art’s father saw Pope Paul VI celebrate Mass.

Every time the couple traveled, they went to Mass. “I don’t know how many different churches we went to, but Georgianne loved it,” said Art.

Georgianne summarized her approach to life in a Facebook message to an old schoolmate, saying, “I have a rare neuromuscular disease, and I’ve been in a wheelchair since 1984. But I have a very happy life thanks to my husband, Art, and a positive take on things.”

During a disability seminar at the Diocese, Art and Georgianne participated in the Stations of the Cross. Georgianne read the Second Station: Jesus takes up his Cross.

“Jesus showed us miraculous strength, both physical and spiritual. He was given a cross to bear, and this was the very beginning of his journey,” she said. “Every step will get harder: As my disease progresses, the physical and emotional frustrations with my disabilities become intense and at times unbearable. By identifying with this Station, I can regain the strength to grow and endure with grace. Jesus told us in Luke 14:27, ‘Whoever does not bear his own cross cannot be my disciple.’”

Lºve and Lent

Art read the Fifth Station – Simon helps Jesus carry his Cross – sharing, “Like Simon, I don’t know why I was chosen, but I am eager to give strength and assistance to my wife’s life. Being a spouse and caretaker has been a rewarding experience with unexpected detours through our lifetime journey. We are traveling together, and our lives have endured some pretty heavy burdens, but like the Stations of the Cross, the end makes it all worth it. Jesus, thank you for this glimpse

Continued on page 31

Georgianne and Arthur Cichy: —Courtesy photos

Black History Month speaker inspires Immaculata students with words, music and dance

Renowned educator and motivational speaker Audrey Davis-Dunning brought her infectious love of West African dance and music to Immaculata High School, Somerville, Feb. 23 as part of the school’s celebration of Black History Month.

The lively assembly, “The Basics, Beauty & Power of African Dance,” was attended by the entire student body. With help from school moderators and Piscataway residents Shawanna Eugene and Issac Howard, the event was organized by seniors Ivy Kyalo of Bound Brook and Maya Mathews of Somerset, student

leaders of the school’s Black Student Union.

mission embraces the tenets of Im maculata’s pillars of Faith, Scholarship, Service and Friendship by “empowering, inspiring and acknowledging African American students and promoting unity and awareness about their culture.”

“Our hope was to give our friends and teachers an experience of the rich culture of West Africa in a fun and lighthearted way,” said Mathews.

Kyalo added that Davis-Dunning

bly was so much fun, and I really enjoyed being able to share this experience with my classmates,” she said.

Davis-Dunning, a graduate of Cornell University, has mentored hundreds of students through her academic career, and has served as a teaching artist at New Jersey Performing Arts Center and other performing venues. Students who attended the program agreed that it was inspiring

ington found the assembly to be filled with joy, and she especially appreciated that the event “exposed more people to the beauty and animation of African dancing and drumming.” She said, “By recognizing the larger significance of many cultures and backgrounds, Immaculata encourages great unity among the students.”

Story submitted by Stacey Mezzacca Geary, IHS Marketing and Communications Assistant

to attend

April 7, 2024

St. Ambrose Church

Old Bridge, NJ

Sunday Mass, 12 noon

Followed by Confession and Rosary Veneration of First Class Relic of Saint Faustina

3 p.m. Divine Mercy Devotion and Chaplet

Main Celebrant and Homilist: Father Anthony J. Mastroeni, S.Th.D.,J.D.

Fr. Anthony was ordained in the diocese of Paterson NJ in 1972. He earned a B.A. in Classical languages and Philosophy, and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Seton Hall University. He has been teaching university students, hosting retreats and theological seminars, and participating in ongoing faith formation for years at various campuses, universities and seminaries in the United States and Europe. He is currently an adjunct professor of Medical Ethics and Theology at Felician College and Moral Theology at the Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University.

Performers and faculty are pictured with students Ivy Kyalo, Maya Mathews and Charles Alexis, left to right, end of middle row. —Courtesy photo

The Diocese Of Metuchen Divine Mercy Apostolate invites all

Return of alumni as faculty members reveals impact of St. Thomas Aquinas HS

By Michael Kowalczyk Special Contributor

St. Thomas Aquinas High School has always been proud of the contributions of its over 11,000 alumni, contributions that extend from the local community to the wider world. It is especially noteworthy that there has always been a strong desire among alumni to return to the place that gave them their start, whether as a teacher, counselor, coach, staff member, or administrator. Currently, 18 STA alumni serve on the faculty as teachers or administrators, sharing their knowledge and experiences in each and every department.

As an institution that prides itself on developing well-rounded individuals with a strong ethical foundation, STA firmly believes that having alumni return as teachers reflects the enduring impact that a Catholic education can have on shaping lives. These exceptional individuals not only understand the academic

rigors of the school, but they also embody the values and virtues that it holds dear.

“My time as a student here was recent enough to remember well, and long enough to give some perspective,” says English teacher Rachel Rivera. “Teaching in the same place I went to high school inevitably brings back strong memories of myself as a student. This simultaneously challenges me to do better as a teacher and reminds me to be compassionate towards the students I have now.”

When alumni return to St. Thomas Aquinas High School, they bring with themselves a wealth of knowledge, experiences, and a deep understanding of the school’s mission. They are living proof that the educational journey at St. Thomas Aquinas extends far beyond graduation, and that it fosters a lifelong love of learning and a desire to make a difference in the lives of others. With their unwavering passion for education and genuine care for STA’s students, these alumni teachers provide a unique perspective that ignites

a spark in the hearts of all students. They inspire and motivate students to reach their full potential, offering guidance and support every step of the way.

Harry Ziegler, principal of St. Thomas Aquinas High School, commends the dedication and unwavering commitment of the alumni teachers saying, “Having our alumni return as teachers is a testament to the lasting impact of a Catholic education at STA. These individuals have chosen to invest their talents and skills into the next generation of students, imparting not just academic knowledge, but also the values and principles that will guide them throughout their lives. We are incredibly proud of their achievements and grateful for the profound influence they have on our school community.”

Each department at St. Thomas Aquinas High School benefits from the expertise of alumni teachers. For example, in the English department, former students’ love for literature is transformed into a lifelong passion for learning and theater. In the science labs, former students’ curiosity and thirst for knowledge inspire the next generation of scientific explorers, criminologists, and robotics experts. And in the math classrooms, the practical application of mathematical principles is brought to life by a devoted alumnus who spent part of

his career as an accountant.

Physics teacher and head wrestling coach, Nick Tonzola, shares his experience returning as an alumnus teacher, “When I returned as a coach in 1990 and started teaching in 1993, the atmosphere was so wonderful. All the teachers and coaches that helped me as a student were all still there for me. I wanted to count myself among the teachers and coaches who truly cared about their students. I feel it every time I encounter alumni and the stories they share. They know they have a home at STA and, for me, it has been priceless.”

St. Thomas Aquinas High School understands that investing in a Catholic education is an investment in the future. By welcoming back talented alumni as teachers, the school creates an unrivaled community of educators who are deeply committed to helping students grow academically, emotionally, and spiritually, thus equipping them with the values, principles, and the guidance needed to navigate the challenges of the world with faith and resilience. The impact of their presence extends far beyond the classroom, shaping the lives and futures of STA students.

For more information about St. Thomas Aquinas High School and the impactful contributions of alumni teachers, please visit the website at stahs.net.

nior members of Little Shop of Horrors.

Right, always seeking an innovative way to reach students, English Department chairperson, softball coach, and theater assistant director Amy Kate Byrne ‘05 elicits an “ah hah moment” from one of her English students.

Bottom, Nick Tonzola ‘88, physics teacher and wrestling coach, welcomes back some wrestling alumni both recent and longtime graduates. —Courtesy photos

Top left, Lea Gossett of the Class of 1995, director of more than 100 theatrical productions at STA, poses with se

Mount Saint Mary recognizes seniors elected to Cum Laude Society

On Feb. 20, Mercy Sister Lisa D. Gambacorto, Mount Saint Mary Academy directress and president of the Mount’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society, Jacqueline Muratore, assistant directress of faculty, curriculum, and planning, and Elizabeth Roper, director of college counseling and chapter secretary of the Cum Laude Society, recognized the seniors elected to the Cum Laude Society for the Class of 2024.

Newly elected members, based on their academic achievement and qualities of excellence, justice, and honor, include Isabelle Fretz, June Gill, Reese Hannon, Charlotte Jotz, Akshaya Karanam, Katherine McCarthy, Gwendolyn Oakley, and Sofiya Piede.

They join Cum Laude Society members who were elected in the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year, Rachel Castela, Zoe Daly, Lillian Del Rossi, Caitlyn Falkowski, Victoria Fekete, Nina Heim, and Zoe Schack.

Patriotic Program

St. Francis Cathedral School 3rd and 4th graders performed their annual Patriotic Program on Feb. 28th with a morning performance for the school and an evening performance for their families. The students did a great job honoring the 15-20 veterans in attendance with patriotic songs and skits. Students announced each veteran’s name along with their branch of service, and then presented them with patriotic pins and flowers to thank them for their service. Invited veterans from Roosevelt Care and Menlo Park Veteran Home were unable to attend due to transportation problems and illness quarantines, respectively.

Pictured, from left to right, are Hunter Prehodka, Vivienne Fenton, William Casaine, Leia Angeles and Logan Kress —Elaine Scull photo

Pictured, front row, left to right, are: Jacqueline Muratore, assistant directress for faculty, curriculum, and planning, Sofiya Piede ‘24, Zoe Daly ‘24, Caitlyn Falkowski ‘24, Zoe Schack ‘24, Victoria Fekete ‘24, and Mercy Sister Lisa D. Gambacorto, directress; second row, June Gill ‘24, Lillian Del Rossi ‘24, Gwendolyn Oakley ‘24, Charlotte Jotz ‘24, Isabelle Fretz ‘24, and Akshaya Karanam ‘24; and back row, Katherine McCarthy ‘24, Reese Hannon ‘24, Nina Heim ‘24, and Rachel Castela ‘24 —Courtesy photo

‘The Shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger’ The Legacy of the Martyr Blessed Stanley Rother

By Robert Christie Special Contributor

On the outskirts of bustling Oklahoma City, on the site of a former golf course, lies the church shrine of Blessed Stanley Rother, a native of the small town of Ocharke, Oklahoma, an hour northwest of the big city.

Opened in 2023, the complex also includes a museum, sanctuary, gift shop, and visitor center. The shrine is built in Spanish Colonial style, like the church where Rother served in Guatemala, St. James the Apostle, and where he was eventually murdered in 1981.

The facility is dedicated to the life and missionary work of this local priest, an Oklahoman who responded to the call of Pope John XXIII for first-world countries to reach out and assist those in less fortune areas of the world.

Father Rother is the first Americanborn priest and martyr to be beatified by the Catholic Church, and just the second person to be beatified here in America, after the Bayonne-born nun Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovich in 2014.

Stanley Rother was born on March 27, 1935, in Ocharche into a German farming family, spending his early years working the land. Inspired to join the

priesthood, he attended seminary, but struggled academically, especially with Latin, and was advised to withdraw. But his sympathetic bishop helped him find another seminary, and he was ordained in 1963, following which he served as a par ish priest in various Oklahoma locations.

Then in 1968, he asked to be sent to Atitlan, Guatemala, where the parish had established a mission. He worked side by side with the local people on many so cial projects, including construction of a school and a hospital, all while minister ing to their spiritual needs. But soon dark clouds enshrouded Central America, and Guatemala suffered from the same social upheavals as the neighboring countries of El Salvador and Nicaragua.

The government grew increasingly suspicious of Catholic priests and nuns as possible Marxist communist sympathizers because of their work with the poor. This led to the murders of many priests and nuns, and in 1980 Father Rother learned that his name was on a government death list.

beautiful painting of Hispanic martyrs on the left, and Jesus receiving them on the right, with Father Stanley in the forefront of the martyrs reaching out to Jesus, creating a most heavenly impression.

In 2009, Father Rother received the title of “Servant of God,” the initiation of the process towards sainthood. After the required review process, seven years later, on Dec. 1, 2016, his beatification received approval from Pope Francis, who confirmed that Rother had been killed in odium fidei (in hatred of the faith).

On Sept. 23, 2017, he was beatified at a Mass attended by 20,000 people, and the title of “Blessed” was bestowed upon him. Church policy requires a documented miracle attributed to the person before that title can be granted, but martyrdom serves in its place.

For his safety, he returned to Oklahoma, but after a brief stay, he longed to return to his people in Guatemala. “The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger,” he said, and he returned to Atitlan. Shortly thereafter, in the dead of night on July 28,

1981, two gunmen broke into the church rectory. They placed a gun to the head of a poor young man whom Father Rother had taken under his care in the rectory and forced him to lead them to the priest’s quarters, where they shot him twice.

Father Rother, just 46 years old, died at the scene. No one was ever held accountable. His body was returned to Oklahoma but, in an exception to Church practice, at the request of his parishioners, his heart was removed and buried beneath the altar in the church at Atitlan, in memory of his service and devotion to his adopted Tz’utuhil people.

Behind the main church shrine is the chapel where, in repose beneath the altar, lies the body of Father Rother, the very presence of which evokes feelings of awe, love, suffering, sacrifice, holiness - and courage.

The dome above is adorned with a

Devotees of Blessed Stanley Rother now await a miracle through his intercession to meet the final requirement for sainthood for their local farmer, priest, missionary, and martyr.

Visit YouTube for an excellent 21-minute video titled “An Ordinary Martyr: The Life and Death of Blessed Stanley Rother.”

Robert C. Christie, author and educator, holds a doctorate in Systematic Theology from Fordham University where he studied under Avery Cardinal Dulles. He has published several books and many articles on theology and philosophy. His most recent book is “The Logic of Conversion: The Harmony of Heart, Will, Mind, and Imagination in John Henry Newman.” Christie is past president of the St. John Henry Newman Association, serving more than 20 years on its board of directors. He taught courses in theology, philosophy, and religion in higher education for 25 years and is a frequent writer for The Catholic Spirit.

—Robert Christie photos

Top left, an external view of the shrine church of Blessed Stanley Rother, Ocharke, Okla.

Bottom left, an interior view of the church, with a statue of Blessed Stanley Rother above the altar.

Right, the chapel behind the main altar, which houses the coffin of Blessed Stanley Rother, beneath the altar, with the beautiful martyrs’ mural being accepted by Jesus at center, with Blessed Stanley the lead martyr in front of Jesus.

An artist’s rendering of the saint hangs in the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine museum.

Irish bishops urge immediate end to Israel-Hamas hostilities as children in Gaza face starvation

MAYNOOTH, Ireland (OSV News) –Ireland’s Catholic bishops called on Israel and Hamas to immediately end hostilities in the Holy Land as the war triggered by the Oct. 7 attacks enters its sixth month, and U.N. agencies warn that children are dying of starvation in Gaza. “What is happening in this region cannot be morally justified,” the hierarchy said in a March 5 statement from their spring plenary assembly in Maynooth. “We call on the Israeli government to comply with basic human and international standards in ensuring that Palestinians have full and unimpeded access to food, water and basic safety requirements,” the bishops said. They also called “on Hamas to release all hostages and to end missile attacks on Israel.” In a post on social media, the head of the World Health Organization warned that children are dying of starvation in northern Gaza. Tedros Adhanom Ghebr-

eyesus said the agency’s visits March 2-3 to the Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals were the first since early October. A lack of food resulted in the deaths of 10 children and “severe levels of malnutrition,” while hospital buildings have been destroyed, Ghebreyesus said. The Hamasrun health ministry in Gaza reported over the same weekend that at least 15 children had died from malnutrition and dehydration at the Kamal Adwan hospital. A 16th child reportedly died March 3 at a hospital in the southern city of Rafah.

Displaced Palestinian children wait to receive food in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, March 5, 2024, that was cooked by a charity kitchen amid shortages of food supplies as the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues. —OSV News photo/Mohammed Salem, Reuters

Vatican Year of Prayer resource available free online

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis has asked Catholics to dedicate 2024 to intensifying their prayer lives in preparation for the celebration of the Holy Year 2025, and the Vatican has published a resource guide to help them. “Teach us to Pray,” a 76-page volume prepared by the Dicastery for Evangelization, was published online in Italian in late February and made available in other languages in early March. Pope Francis launched the year in late January, saying it would be “dedicated to rediscovering the great value and absolute need for prayer in per sonal life, in the life of the Church and in the world.” The Dicastery for Evangeli zation said the booklet is “an invitation to intensify prayer, understood as a personal dialogue with God,” and can help people reflect on their faith and their Christian commitment in the various contexts of their lives. The booklet can be downloaded at: https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/

Major Archbishop Shevchuk: Cross is ‘tree of life’ bearing fruit in besieged Ukraine

WASHINGTON (OSV News) –As Ukraine enters its 11th year of confronting Russian aggression, the cross of Christ is “a tree of life (that) bears its fruit every day” in the besieged nation, said the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. “This oasis … is the life-giving tree from which the living water of the Holy Spirit flows … from the open and pierced side of the crucified Savior,” said Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk. The archbishop shared his reflections in a March 3 homily at the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family in Washington during a Divine Liturgy ahead of March 3-6 meetings in that city of the five bishops who comprise the church’s permanent synod. The permanent synod members’ visit – which will include stops in Philadelphia and New York – marks the first official travel by a Ukrainian Catholic delegation to the U.S. since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, continuing attacks begun in 2014. “We will win if we are and (remain) together,” said Major Archbishop Shevchuk, who expressed

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, Ukraine, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, and Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, pray at a March 3, 2024, Divine Liturgy at the Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family in Washington. —OSV News photo/Gina Christian

his profound gratitude for the generosity of U.S. Catholics in supporting Ukraine. “Together with God, and together with one another, regardless of where we live, and together with Ukraine.”

Walgreens, CVS pharmacies to begin dispensing pills used for abortion, early miscarriage

The cover of “Teach us to Pray,” a 76page resource for celebrating 2024 as the Year of Prayer, is seen in this screen grab. The booklet is available free online from the Vatican’s website for the Holy Year 2025. —CNS photo/ iubilaeum2025.va

notizie/comunicati/2024/insegnaci-apregare-disponibile-sussidio.html

DEERFIELD, Ill. (OSV News) – Two major U.S. pharmacy chains have announced they will begin dispensing the drug mifepristone, which has been prescribed for both abortion and early miscarriage, within the coming days. Representatives of Walgreens and CVS announced the move March 1 in an interview with The New York Times. Walgreens issued a press release the same day, stating that it “expects to begin dispensing within a week, consistent with federal and state laws” in a “phased rollout in select locations to allow us to ensure quality, safety, and privacy for our patients, providers, and team members.” Both pharmacy chains have received certification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to supply the drug under guidelines the agency issued last year. At present, the chains will only

Mifepristone, the first medication in a two-drug regimen used for early abortion and more recently for early miscarriage care, is prepared for a patient at Alamo Women’s Clinic in Carbondale, Ill., April 20, 2023. Representatives of Walgreens and CVS announced March 1 their pharmacies will begin dispensing mifepristone in select states where both abortion and pharmacy distribution of the drug is legal. —OSV News photo/Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters

provide mifepristone in person, not by mail, in select states where both abortion and pharmacy distribution of the drugs is legal. A synthetic steroid, mifepristone – introduced 20 years ago – works by blocking the hormone progesterone, which is necessary for pregnancy to continue. When used in combination with misoprostol, which causes contractions, it induces a “medication abortion” up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy; this regimen accounts for more than half of abortions today according to Guttmacher Institute data. Due to research published since 2018, the same pill combination has been prescribed by some OB-GYNs more recently for a morally licit purpose: early pregnancy miscarriage care. According to the National Library of Medicine, an estimated 26% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage.

Pope chooses World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly theme in light of Holy Year 2025

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis has chosen a line from Psalm 71 – “Do not cast me off in my old age” – as the theme for the 2024 celebration of the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.

In a note announcing the theme for the day, which will be celebrated July 28, the Vatican said the choice was “meant to call attention to the fact that, sadly, loneliness is the bitter lot in life of many elderly persons, so often the victims of the throwaway culture.”

Pope Francis celebrated the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in 2021 and decreed that it be observed each year on the Sunday closest to the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, Jesus’ grandparents.

As the Catholic Church prepares for the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis

has asked Catholics to focus on prayer, which is why he chose the prayer of an elderly person from the Psalms for the theme, the Vatican said in a statement released Feb. 15.

“By cherishing the charisms of grandparents and the elderly, and the contribution they make to the life of the Church, the World Day seeks to support the efforts of every ecclesial community to forge bonds between the generations and to combat loneliness,” the statement said.

Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, said the theme is a reminder “that, unfortunately, loneliness is a widespread reality, which afflicts many elderly people, often victims of the throwaway culture and considered a burden to society.”

Families and parishes, he said, “are

called to be at the forefront in promoting a culture of encounter, to create spaces for sharing, listening, to offer support and affection: thus, the love of Gospel becomes concrete.”

This graphic for World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly 2024 features the theme for the July 28 celebration: “Do not cast me off in my old age,” a passage from Psalm 71. —CNS photo/courtesy Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life

“Our communities, with their tenderness and affectionate attention that does not forget its most fragile members, are called to manifest the love of God, who never abandons anyone,” the cardinal said.

Vices are ‘beasts’ of the soul that need taming, Pope says at Angelus

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Vices, such as vanity and greed, are like “wild beasts” of the soul that risk tearing people apart, Pope Francis said.

Vices “must be tamed and fought, otherwise they will devour our freedom,” he said Feb. 18 before reciting the Angelus prayer with about 15,000 visitors in St. Peter’s Square.

The period of Lent, he added, helps Christians create moments of silence, prayer and reflection in order to correct those vices and perceive the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

On the first Sunday of Lent, the Pope focused his main Angelus address on the day’s Gospel reading about Jesus in the desert or “the wilderness.” He remained there for 40 days, “tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him,” according to the Gospel of St. Mark (1:12-13).

“We too, during Lent, are invited to ‘enter the wilderness,’ that is, silence, the inner world, listening to the heart, in contact with the truth,” the Pope said.

By entering into one’s inner world, he said, “we can encounter wild beasts and angels there.”

The “beasts” of the soul, he said, are “the disordered passions that divide the heart, trying to take possession of it. They entice us, they seem seductive, but if we are not careful, we risk being torn apart by them.”

They include various vices, he said, such as coveting wealth, “the vanity of pleasure, which condemns us to restlessness and solitude, and the craving for fame, which gives rise to insecurity and

a continuous need for confirmation and prominence.”

However, the Pope said, angels were also in the desert with Jesus.

“These are God’s messengers, who help us, who do us good: indeed, their characteristic, according to the Gospel, is service,” he said. “While temptations tear us apart, the good divine inspirations unify us and let us enter into harmony: they quench the heart, infuse the taste of Christ, ‘the flavor of Heaven.’”

“In order to grasp the inspiration of God, one must enter into silence and prayer. And Lent is the time to do this,” the Pope said, encouraging Christians to dedicate the time and space needed for such reflection each day.

Pope Francis and leaders of the Ro-

man Curia were to dedicate themselves to private prayer and reflection from the afternoon of Feb. 18 to the afternoon of Feb. 23.

After the Angelus, the Pope greeted Italian agricultural and livestock farmers, who had come to St. Peter’s Square seeking his blessing as they joined farmers across Europe demonstrating about rising costs, falling incomes and the impact of European Union regulations aimed at mitigating climate change.

The farmers had their mascot, a cow named Ercolina II, with them in the square. The first Ercolina had been the mascot of dairy farmers who protested limits imposed by the European Union on milk production and associated large fines for exceeding quotas in 1997.

Farmers bring a cow, named Ercolina II, to St. Peter’s Square for the recitation of the Angelus prayer at the Vatican Feb. 18, 2024. A man holds up a sign of a black and white image of the first Ercolina who was the mascot of dairy farmers who protested limits imposed by the European Union on milk production in 1997. Pope Francis greeted the Italian agricultural and livestock farmers, who had come to the square seeking his blessing as they joined farmers across Europe demonstrating about rising costs, falling incomes and the impact of European Union regulations aimed at mitigating climate change.

—CNS photo/Vatican Media

Pope Francis’s Monthly Prayer Intentions

April

For

the role of women We pray that the dignity and immense value of women be recognized in every culture, and for the end of discrimination that they experience in different parts of the world.

Through his Passion and Death, Jesus opened gates to eternal life

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion (B)

Our first reading this Passion Sunday is generally referred to as the Third Servant Song. Taken from the Section of the Book of Isaiah known as Second Isaiah, this text is third in a series of four Old Testament passages that highlight the salvation and victory won through the suffering of the faithful servant of the Lord. Written over 500 years before Jesus’ own passion and death, this text is vitally important because it so well captures the way that Jesus himself might have understood the events of Holy Week.

The Third Servant Song speaks of a servant of the Lord whom God commissioned to teach his people. He proclaimed a message of correction and hope to a weary, downtrodden flock. Although he labored faithfully at his task, the people refused to accept his message and abused him with insults and vile taunts. He endured these insults with patience and continued his mission with courage, al-

ways certain that God who had commissioned him would ultimately vindicate his efforts. In the end, the servant’s faith is well rewarded; the anguish endured by the servant is the precise means God uses to bestow salvation upon both the servant and his people. It is truly amazing how well this passage helps us to understand the events we prepare to remember this Holy Week.

“The Lord God has given me a welltrained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them” (Isaiah 50:4a-b). Throughout his public ministry, Jesus had taught his people by word and deed. His message of repentance and salvation was backed up by the powerful authenticity of his person, the wonder and awe wrought by his miracles, and the genuine concern he exuded especially for God’s “little ones.” How wonderful his theme of justice, peace, and joy must have sounded to the ears of those beaten-down people – every moment of his ministry was

SCRIPTURE SEARCH®

Gospel for March 24, 2024

Mark 11:1-10

Following is a word search based on the Processional Gospel for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Cycle B. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle.

JERUSALEM BETHANY MOUNT

OLIVES SENT TWO DISCIPLES

VILLAGE ENTERING COLT OUTSIDE STREET BYSTANDERS CLOAKS SPREAD ROAD

LEAFY BRANCHES CUT

FIELDS BLESSED LORD

LEAFY BRANCHES

dedicated to lifting them into the fullness of his Father’s Kingdom.

“Morning after morning he opens my ear that I might hear; and I have not rebelled, have not turned back” (Isaiah 50:4c-5). The very core of Jesus’ being was his loving devotion to his Heavenly Father. Morning after morning, through his multiple examples of prayer, Jesus witnessed to the centrality of this relationship. Having been commissioned by his Father to win the salvation of his people, Jesus remained steadfastly faithful to that call, enduring whatever was necessary to accomplish his Father’s will. The intense love between the Father and the Son offers a privileged insight into the communion of love that is the Blessed Trinity. Jesus’ passion and death must be understood as a manifestation of his total love for his Heavenly Father, a love which overflowed into the redemption of all humanity.

“I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6). Jesus is perhaps the prime manifestation of the truth that real love always includes the willingness to sacrifice and endure suffering for the beloved. Even through the 2,000 years of history that separates us from the events of Jesus’ passion, we must remember that his suffering and death was violent and cruel and real. Ever faithful to

his mission, Jesus endured the tortures of that first Holy Week, proving his infinite love for us, and thereby winning our salvation. The great apostle St. Paul captures this best: “It is in this that God proves his love for us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame” (Isaiah 50:7). In fact, not only was Christ not abandoned to shame, but his Almighty Father raised him up as the gloriously reigning Lord of heaven and earth. Through his suffering and death, Jesus had won the salvation of God’s people, forever opening the gates to eternal life. This love of Christ has defeated ultimately the power of sin and death; the redemption that Christ has wrought is a perpetual offer to all those who believe in him – the final words this Holy Week will not be sin, but love – not death, but life!

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

‘Return to Holy Land!’ bishop says, urging pilgrims to visit West Bank, support Christians

JERUSALEM (OSV News) – A bishop in Jerusalem appealed for Christians to start returning to the Holy Land on pilgrimage to visit holy places located within Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, made the comments after Israel’s tourism minister appealed to Christian leaders during a visit to the U.S. to recommence pilgrimages “to strengthen yourselves and to strengthen us.”

Bishop Shomali also said he is hopeful Church leaders in the Holy Land will issue an invitation for Christian pilgrims to return. Tens of thousands of Christian pilgrims had to leave the Holy Land on emergency flights following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. In the aftermath of the attacks, and Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza, many airlines canceled flights to Tel Aviv.

The absence of pilgrims has had a dramatic effect on the region’s tiny Christian minority in particular, given that many Christians have job working with pilgrims. Bishop Shomali said, “There are difficulties because of security, but still Jericho and Bethlehem can be visited.” Encouraging people to visit Palestinian Territories is crucial today so that those barred from entering Israel can still make money to support their families. Sources close to the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need said conditions for the small Christian community that remains in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated over the last four months.

A shopkeeper waits for tourists Nov. 10, 2023, as other souvenir shops are closed in Jerusalem’s Old City amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

—OSV News photo/ Reinhard Krause, Reuters

Sister Judith Ann Andrews, 85

Orleans, La.

Prior to entering the Sisters of Jesus Our Hope, Sister Judith worked as editor and writer for several Pennsylvania publications, including the Harrisburg diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Witness. She also worked for nine years as communications director and assistant director for the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference of Bishops as well as served on the interchurch joint ecumenical venture of the Catholic Conference and the Pennsylvania Council of Churches.

In 1992, Sister Judith entered the Sisters of Jesus Our Hope, professing her vows three years later. Having been a woman of deep faith in God and love for the Catholic Church throughout her life, Sister Judith was eager to offer her life more totally to Christ through her religious life. She had known the Sisters for many years and was attracted to their prayer life and to the possibility of living with “no other spouse” than Jesus.

She spent her religious life deepening that relationship with Jesus and living fully the Way of Life of the Sisters of Jesus Our Hope. Sister Judith also lived with a tender love for Mary, Mother of God. She had learned to pray the Rosary early in life when accompanying her grandmother to pray in Church. Sister Judith called Mary her “close companion” in the journey of life and entrusted to her

Sister Cecylia Urszula Trela, LSIC, 88

Sister Ursula Trela, 88, of the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, died on March 3, 2024, anointed by the rites of the Church, in the community at St. Joseph Senior Home in Woodbridge in her 70th year of religious life.

Weeks before her death, in an interview for The Catholic Spirit to celebrate her jubilee year, Sister Ursula reflected, “They have been happy years.”

Born the fourth of 11 children and baptized Cecilia, Sister Ursula was promised to the Lord as a nun, even before she was born, by her mother, who had survived a gunshot while pregnant and working in the fields.

Her mother rejoiced when Sister Ursula entered the Motherhouse of the Congregation in 1954 in Poland. After

Lºveand Lent

Continued from page 23

of Simon from Cyrene, who shows us the impact of generous service. Jesus told us in Matthew 25:40 that, ‘Whatever we do to the least of our brothers, we do to Him.’”

On the morning of Georgianne’s Mass of Christian Burial, Msgr. William Benwell offered a moving homily that emphasized the power of God’s

many heartfelt prayer intentions.

As a Sister of Jesus Our Hope, Sister Judith served for several years in the community apostolate at the Sheepfold Early Childhood Program at Immaculate Conception Parish, Annandale. She cared for both the young children as well as their parents as she so warmly greeted them at the door or spoke with them on the phone.

Sister Judith served in several other apostolates of the Sisters within the Diocese of Metuchen including at Life Choices Center, Phillipsburg; St. Patrick Church, Belvedere; the McCarrick Care Center, Somerset; Retreat Days for Women held in Flemington, and visits to the sick of St. Peter the Apostle Parish, New Brunswick.

Sister Judith lived her life with a profound faith in God and dedicated service to the Catholic Church. She was kind and loving. She had a genuine care and concern for others and was always ready to give assistance to relieve the burdens of others. Among her many enjoyments in life were writing, reading, photography, singing and planting. She loved the beauty of God’s creation and, especially enjoyed a beautiful garden, as well as a pleasant moment with the convent dogs.

More than this, Sister Judith enjoyed time with her Sisters and with her family. She loved each one with great care and

was always eager to know about the lives of her nephews and their growing families. She kept in touch with friends and prayed throughout each day for the needs of her loved ones and for all of those whom she met through her ministry. She was truly a “faithful friend” and a “sturdy shelter” for everyone in her life.

In addition to her parents, Sister Judith is predeceased by her brother, Michael Andrews.

Sister Judith is survived by her sister, Terisa and her husband, Rodney Bucks; her sister, Lorita and her husband, Terry Smeltzer; her nephew, David; nephew, Gregory and his wife, Megan and their children, Michael and Anna; and her nephew, Geoffrey and his wife, Stephanie, and their daughters, Dayla and Mira.

A Mass of Christian Burial, celebrated by Msgr. Joseph G. Celano, took place Feb.26 in Immaculate Conception Church, Annandale. Burial followed in the plot of the Sisters of Jesus Our Hope, located in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Alpha.

Visit Sister Judith’s permanent memorial site at www.wrightfamily.com where one can light a memorial candle and leave a message of condolence and words of comfort, as well as share stories and photographs of her life.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of Jesus Our Hope, 376 Bellis Road, Bloomsbury, NJ 08804.

and children with special needs, trained and served as a catechist and bookkeeper.

In 1972 Sister Ursula came to serve in the United States. Following studies in the English language, she continued her education, graduated in elementary education and qualified in nursing home administration and preschool education.

She served as a kindergarten teacher in schools in New Jersey and Massachusetts, as well as an administrator in St. Mary’s Home, Cherry Hill. She participated in establishing (1980-1981) the Congregation’s St. Joseph Senior Residence (now Assisted Living) and St. Joseph Nursing Home in Woodbridge where she served as administrator from 1990-2014, always mindful of the words of her Order’s founder, Blessed Edmund Bojanowksi: “The love of Christ

grace, saying, “It needs to be said that Georgianne was … a role model of what the human spirit and God’s grace can accomplish in the face of life’s hardships. And that the human spirit and God’s grace can confront even the greatest of life’s challenges with joy. …

“And how can we reflect on role models and not acknowledge Art, whose faithful devotion to Georgianne

and more humane, and to make life more bearable.”

The Congregation’s Mother Elizabeth Lopatka recalled that Sister Ursula devotedly visited and served the residents and prayed with them, almost until the end. The community cherishes the memory of Sister Ursula as a most prayerful, dedicated religious with great love of God, her community and family, the children and the elderly, plus her “green thumb” with flowers and vegetables.

A Mass of Christian Burial took place March 7 in the Chapel of St. Joseph Assisted Living with interment following in St. Joseph Cemetery, Chews Landing.

Contributions in Sister Ursula’s memory may be made to the Little Servant Sisters, Provincialate, 1000 Crop

was so beautiful, such an inspiring example of the marriage covenant. And if this does embarrass and surprise him, that’s only because he would say, ‘How else would I act toward someone I loved unconditionally?’”

I believe Bishop Hughes would smile knowingly at the question, certain that Art and Georgianne had learned their lessons of love at the foot of the Cross.

Stepping forward in charity

Catholic Charities bids farewell as two inspiring women retire

Stepping forward in charity

By Tiffany Workman Special Contributor

The mission statement of Catholic Charities, driven by Catholic social teaching, states that Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen, provides quality services with dignity and respect to the poor, vulnerable, and all people in need and partners with families and communities to improve the quality of life. Staff members are asked to carry out this mission with every client they serve; a mission embrace by two truly inspiring women who are about to retire.

Jennifer Hinton, director at the Unity Square Community Center of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen, will be retiring this month after six years of commitment and stewardship. Hinton previously served as diocesan director of lay ministry and leadership.

Unity Square’s vision is to “embody a well-rounded, unified, healthy, and economically sound community, where all residents feel safe and empowered to live, work, and make positive connections with their neighbors. Collaboration with neighborhood partners will build healthy, stable families and strengthen opportunities for adequate and affordable housing, economic growth, and quality education. Through consistent efforts, Unity Square will be a vibrant, growing neighborhood that engenders pride and hope in its residents,” a vision Hinton has kept at the forefront of every service undertaken at the Center.

In October of 2022, Unity Square Community Center celebrated the grand opening of the Choice Food Resource Center after many years of groundwork and collaboration. This was in partnership with several local churches and the city of New Brunswick providing an opportunity for clients to select from different offerings to better meet their family needs, rather than pre-packed food items.

In a letter sent out to community partners, Krista Glynn, service area director, wrote, “We thank Jennifer for all of her hard work making the center a success and are excited for what the future holds.” In her letter, Glynn also welcomes Michelle Gil as the new program director. Gil was a previous community organizer at Unity Square.

Julio Coto, executive director of

Catholic Charities shared, “I would like to thank Jennifer Hinton for all of her tireless efforts in the success of Unity Square. Her passion and dedication led to the opening of the Choice Food Resource Center that feeds those who are most in need. Jennifer’s daily works of mercy have shown the true spirit of working for Catholic Charities.”

Also retiring is Dr. Esther Schlesinger, medical director, who has served in her position for 25 years.

Dr. Schlesinger has been a cornerstone of Catholic Charities, providing invaluable psychiatric care to PACT clients, outpatient clinic clients, DCF families and YPC youth, guidance to our staff and leadership to CCDM.

Marci Booth, associate executive director of Catholic Charities, said, “Dr. S’s time has been an extraordinary journey of dedication that spans a remarkable 25 years. It is an honor to express our appreciation for our Doc to many, and the incredible contributions she has made to Catholic Charities. She has enriched our community with her compassion, expertise, and commitment to the well-being of others.”

Dr. S has been a beacon of hope for individuals facing mental health challenges. Her dedication to improving the mental and emotional health of clients has been unwavering. She is known for her ability to empower clients while holding them accountable. In doing so, she has provided a lifeline to those who often feel lost and forgotten, offering a path toward healing and recovery.

In addition to her direct work with clients, Dr. S has been a mentor and a source of inspiration to countless colleagues within our agency. Her willingness to share knowledge, provide guidance, and offer support has helped nurture the talents of those who have

worked alongside her.

Dr. Esther Schlesinger —Courtesy photos

STEPPING FORWARD IN CHARITY

Coto expressed his gratitude for Dr. S., saying, “On behalf of Catholic Charities, and all those you have served, we extend our heartfelt gratitude and congratulations on this remarkable achievement. Thank you, Dr. S, for 25 years of making a profound and lasting difference in the lives of so many.”

Unity Square Community Center is located at 81 Remsen Avenue in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Besides addressing food insecurities, Unity Square also focuses on other social concerns in the community and will assist with housing resources, whether you are a tenant or

landlord. For more information call 732545-0329 or stop by Monday through Friday from 10am-5pm. Assistance is available for those who speak other languages including Spanish.

For more information about Catholic Charities Diocese of Metuchen, please visit ccdom.org. Like and Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @ccdom1 to stay updated on upcoming events and ways CCDM helps clients get the services and assistance they need.

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

Jennifer Hinton

Aquinas students find inspiration in Washington, D.C.’s Catholic landmarks

By Michael Kowalczyk Special Contributor

In a journey of faith and cultural exploration, a group of St. Thomas Aquinas High School – Edison, students along with Campus Minister Mike Lewon and Director of Catholic Identity Fr. Mike Tabernero, recently made a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., visiting the St. John Paul II National Shrine and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

At the St. John Paul II National Shrine, students immersed themselves in the life, papacy, and enduring legacy of the world-changing saint. The pilgrimage, motivated by the Theology of the Body curriculum, which has been a focal point in Theology classes at STA, aimed to deepen students’ understanding of St.

Students from St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Edison, pose before the St. John Paul II National Shrine during a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. to visit Catholic landmarks.

—Courtesy photo

John Paul II’s profound teachings.

The day continued with a captivat ing tour of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The diverse chapels within the Basilica vividly depict the universality and multiculturalism of the Catholic Church, both in America and across the globe. After the guided tour, students had the opportunity for personal exploration, allowing moments of prayer and reflection on the impactful experiences of the day.

was so happy to have been a part of. This trip allowed for Campus Ministry members to grow closer together and connect more deeply with the roots of our Catholic community. I am so grateful that I was given this chance to learn more about Saint John Paul II, get a first-hand look at the history of our faith at the Basilica of the National Shrine, and take a day off

from school to focus on the beauty of our

The pilgrimage served not only as an educational venture but also provided a transformative and spiritually enriching experience for the students, reinforcing the profound impact of St. John Paul II’s teachings and the role of the Catholic Church in America and throughout the world.

Michael Kowalczyk serves as director of communications for St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Edison.

Diocese of Metuchen Catholic Cemeteries

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

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Offerings:

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How do I pre-plan?

A Catholic Cemetery Memorial Counselor will explain and guide you through the pre-planning process. This is someone you can trust and who will explain the options that are available for you.

Sustaining the Fast: Simple meals for the Lenten desert

Lent calls us into a season of 40 days of fasting. It’s common for us to focus particularly on one edible attachment: chocolate, alcohol, dessert, etc. Throughout Christian history, however, Lent called everyone to a more rigorous time of general fasting and asceticism. Mandatory fasting may have been reduced to two days, but the season, in its essence, entails 40 days of curtailing our food intake.

This entailed abstaining from all animal products (except fish) for the full 46 days, Sundays included, and not eating a full meal until evening on Monday through Saturday. Early Christians fasted completely until evening, but, over time, some collations (snacks) were allowed after noon.

Fasting entails not eating, but what we do eat during Lent should reinforce our focus on the goals of the season. Not eating should make us hungry for God and our higher needs. When we eat, this, too, should point us to God and conversion. To turn away from the flesh, we stop eating the flesh of animals, reminding us of the danger of following our own fleshy appetites.

Fish could be seen as an exception to get around fasting (and Catholics love to find those), but eating fish positively points us to our true food. From the beginning, the fish represented Christ himself, the Ichthus – Jesus Christ Son

of God, Savior – who offers us the daily bread we need to survive. Eating fish also offers a sign of conversion as we turn to Christ in Lent and Fridays throughout the year. And when it comes to fish fries, let’s just keep it simple for a day of sacrifice!

Special foods have arisen to meet the demands of the Lenten fast, with pretzels made of flour and water being the most famous. The pretzel’s origin may be lost to history, but we do know with certainty that it arose in the early Middle Ages, the time of the monks, with the first recorded mention in the fifth century.

By the 12th century, they were common enough in Germany to appear on the emblems of bakers as a symbol of their craft. The most likely etymology is brachiola, “little arms,” because if you flip the snack upside down, you will find an image of folded arms as an emblem of Lenten prayer. In addition, its

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three holes can be seen to represent the Trinity. If pretzels really do derive from Lenten fasting, then it would make sense even for this collation to point back to the spirit of the season.

But if you eat pretzels, won’t you need a beer to drink with them? Is that allowed during Lent? Early Christian fasting proscribed wine, along with oil, meat, and dairy. Beer was not widely consumed in Greco-Roman culture, making this barley-based drink another possible exception to the Lenten fast.

Some have even claimed that monks survived solely on beer during Lent, but, based on my research for “The Beer Option: Brewing a Catholic Culture Yesterday & Today” (Angelico, 2018), it was used in Bavaria as a supplement during the day until the sole evening meal. Like the pretzel, beer, a staple of Northern European culture, helped sustain the fast.

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Beer and pretzels – that will lead us to asceticism, right? Well, if you embrace a fast as rigorous as St. Francis Paola’s Friars Minum (who founded the Paulaner Brewery in Munich), you may just need a beer to get you through the day. For my part, I’ll stick to water.

Finally, a simple Lenten soup offers a perfect course for the penitent. Father Xavier Weiser describes two Polish recipes in one of his many books on Catholic customs of the seasons (in this case, “The Easter Book,” which also addresses Lenten customs). The first is simply called Lenten (Postna) soup, made with sauteed carrots, celery and onions, which are then simmered in water.

The second is Postna Grochowka, Lenten Pea Soup, comprised of a pound of split peas, seasonings (salt, pepper, bay leaves, and allspice) and a cup of carrots. All the ingredients should be boiled for four hours except the carrots, which are added halfway through. Add some pretzels alongside a bowl of Lenten soup, and you’ll have a perfectly simple meal for the season.

Why focus on Lenten foods? These examples point us to the ancient custom of more serious fasting throughout the Lenten season. They call us to abstain from meat, to refrain from eating between meals, to substitute meals for more simple snacks, and to curtail any luxury from our eating habits. What we eat should remind us of the call to fast, which in turn should point us to the Lord as the true sustenance of the season, which he offers us in our daily prayer with him in the desert.

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

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Surprise! Catholic social teaching already has a lot to say about AI, experts say

By Kevin J. Jones

(OSV News) – The viral internet commercial sounded real: the voice of Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, archbishop of Mexico City, endorsing a miracle drug that had cured him of diabetes.

But the commercial – like the cure itself – was fake. As Desde La Fe, the archdiocese’s newspaper reported in January, fraudsters had made a “deepfake” to simulate the cardinal’s voice, using advanced software loosely categorized as artificial intelligence, or AI.

The criminal use of AI-generated content is among the most disturbing advances in digital technology. In June 2023, the FBI issued a warning about AI “deepfakes” that transform a real victim’s benign images into explicit “true-to-life” content to target him or her for harassment and sexual extortion. Sometimes the victims are minors. Other times the victims are non-consenting adults, including popular figures such as the singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

Experts also note that technological developments with AI can bring profound changes for the good – but they emphasize the urgent need for applied Catholic ethics and social thought. The Vatican itself has made the topic a priority, with the Vatican’s Dicastery of Culture and Education and its Center for Digital Culture playing a lead role in bringing together business leaders, philosophers and Catholic thinkers to discuss the ethics of AI.

Catherine Moon, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, told OSV News the technologies are double-edged.

“The analogy to fire is probably a good one,” she said. “It can bring light and warmth or it can bring destruction and darkness.”

Moon is a member of the AI Research Group, a North American group of theologians, philosophers and ethicists collaborating at the invitation of the Vatican’s Center for Digital Culture. She noted technological advances “already pervade every aspect and sphere of (our) life.” Data analytics and natural language processing are already integrated into machine learning and algorithms, the technical names for the computer programs that shape 21st-century life.

“It shapes the news we see on our phone, the media we are recommended to watch, the goods we ‘ought’ to buy, the people we ‘ought’ to date, whether we are considered at risk for illness, eligible for a loan or even a future threat to society,” Moon said.

AI’s accelerated revolution

Natural language processing technology helps people with certain disabilities communicate and also translates difficult or rarely studied human languages. Researchers at the University of Southern California have launched a project called Greek Room to automate labor-intensive aspects of Bible translation, like checking for spelling and consistency, for languages that lack resources.

Self-driving cars with no human backup could make taxi driving and truck driving obsolete. Even computer programmers’ work is being simplified by new AI systems. In many industries, AI means fewer workers are needed and more people laid off as a result.

“It’s about making human labor more efficient,” said Brian Patrick Green, director of technology ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University in California. “The direct impact on people’s lives is going to appear in the form of their jobs changing.”

“AI is making science go a lot faster,” he told OSV News. “It’s giving people the ability to find patterns where there were not patterns noticed before. It allows modeling much more complex behavior. It allows analyzing much larger data sets.”

AlphaFold, an AI project by Alphabet subsidiary DeepMind, has made highly accurate predictive models of the three-dimensional protein structures of the human body, and of almost all cataloged proteins known to science.

The project rapidly accelerates more than five decades of expensive and timeconsuming research that aims to inform new drugs and therapies, with repercussions for sustainability, food insecurity, drug development and disease treatment.

While AI now means algorithms or machine learning systems that are designed for specific tasks, some researchers hope to develop a hypothetical artificial general intelligence, a system that replicates human ability to think in a general way.

“Basically everything that human intelligence can do that can be automated probably will be,” Greene said. “It’s a matter of how long it’s going to take.”

“We shouldn’t assume that everything can be automated,” he added. While some philosophers have reckoned that human distinctiveness rests in the ability to think and reason logically, Green posited that theological traditions help people realize “what makes us distinctively human is our ability to love.”

Existing groundwork for AI ethics

Any response to AI can find a foundation in Catholic social teaching, famously emphasized in Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical on capital and labor “Re-

rum Novarum.”

“The tradition of Catholic social teaching started as a kind of a response to the industrial revolution,” said Green, who like Moon is a member of the Vatican’s AI Research Group. “It’s not just Catholic teaching on society. It’s a Catholic teaching on society as a response to technology.”

Green said Catholics can understand Catholic social teaching as “teaching in response to technology and as technology continues to change.”

Moon agreed.

“The Catholic tradition and Catholic social teaching has rich, relevant, and necessary resources for engaging both the contemporary discourse surrounding AI and new technology,” she said, particularly with reference to achieving “the common good and human flourishing.”

But she made clear serious concerns are at play. AI could worsen the concentration of wealth. A biased AI could marginalize vulnerable people who seek social services, health care or banking services. The technology itself can be resource-intensive with damaging environmental effects. There could be a “moral de-skilling” in which people excessively defer to the authority of algorithms and refuse to make their own judgments and choices. Vital human relationships could be mediated through AI and optimized purely for the acquisition of wealth or personal pleasure.

Others working on the Catholic response to AI include Pope Francis himself. His Jan. 1, 2024, message for the 57th World Day of Peace praised human intelligence as a gift of God and welcomed achievements in science and technology.

But he warned algorithms and AI technology are not morally neutral but have their own assumptions. They can reproduce the “injustices and prejudices” of their societies. AI-guided autonomous weapons, he warned, are never “morally responsible subjects.” AI systems can be used to surveil or categorize individuals into vast social credit schemes, while they also can set outcomes for mortgage and job applications and applications for asylum.

The Pope also praised AI-driven innovations in agriculture, education and culture that could mean “an improved level of life for entire nations and peoples, and the growth of human fraternity and social friendship.”

Pope Francis stressed the impor-

19, 2020. —OSV News photo/Yves Herman, Reuters

tance of developing international organizations and new treaties to regulate AI technologies and establish best practices. He welcomed responsible action and respect for “such fundamental human values as ‘inclusion, transparency, security, equity, privacy and reliability.’”

Emerging questions and guidelines

Those values were a focus of shared agreement in the 2020 Rome Call for AI Ethics, signed by the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life alongside world leaders like the presidents of IBM and Microsoft.

Bishop Paul Tighe, the Vatican’s secretary for the Dicastery for Culture and Education’s culture section and a major figure in Catholic engagement with the new technology, helped bring together the members of the Center for Digital Culture’s AI Research Group, which began meeting in 2020.

The group has produced the book “Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations,” which is the first in a planned series of publications about the challenges of AI and the preservation of human values.

Bishop Tighe, writing in the book’s foreword, said several Vatican curial departments have given their attention to AI and there is a clear consensus about “the need for a rigorous theological and philosophical consideration of the likely social, economic and cultural impact of the technology.” He listed some of the questions existing discussions converge on: “How will we ensure that technologies are truly promoting human progress? What is it that distinguishes humans from machines? What are the values and practices that promote social and human flourishing?”

Jordan J. Wales, one of the book’s editors and a theology professor at Hillsdale College in Michigan, called the book “a rich analysis and application of the Catholic tradition to these problems.” One of its running themes, he told OSV News, is a favorite of Pope Francis: the culture of encounter between persons.

Wales said the best the Catholic Church can do, as it appears to be doing now, is to “point out some possibilities and perils” and work to cultivate theological engagement with developing topics, so that “we won’t be caught unawares when their effects become more apparent.”

Kevin J. Jones writes for OSV News from Denver.

A robot equipped with artificial intelligence is seen at the AI Xperience Center in Brussels, Feb.

New telescope is changing ideas about how universe began

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Orbiting the sun nearly 1 million miles from Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope is reshaping the way scientists understand the universe and its origins, a number of astronomers said at a Vatican-sponsored meeting.

“The telescope is able to see things that prior telescopes just could not see,” Jonathan Lunine, a professor of astronomy and department chair at Cornell University, told Catholic News Service Feb. 28.

It has such unprecedented power in terms of its sensitivity, wavelength range and image sharpness that it is “doing revolutionary things” and leading to exciting new discoveries in multiple fields, he said.

Lunine, who is a planetary scientist and physicist, was one of nearly 50 experts in the field of astronomy attending a Feb. 27-29 workshop organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences to discuss the newest results from the Webb telescope.

Launched Dec. 25, 2021, NASA’s latest space science observatory is the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built. It began sending full-

An image taken with the near-infrared camera from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows the Ring Nebula Aug. 21, 2023. —CNS photo/courtesy ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow, N. Cox, R. Wesson

color images and data back to Earth after it became fully operational in July 2022.

“The JWST data are revolutionizing many areas in astronomy, from the first galaxies to new worlds,” the academy said in its workshop program.

NASA said on its Webb.nasa.gov page, “Telescopes show us how things were – not how they are right now,” which helps humanity “understand the origins of the universe.”

“Webb is so sensitive it could theoretically detect the heat signature of a

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bumblebee at the distance of the Moon,” it said.

The telescope can see points in the history of the cosmos that were never observed before – over 13.5 billion years ago, a few hundred million years after the Big Bang – to search for the first galaxies in the universe, NASA said.

Anna de Graaff, an independent research fellow in the field of galaxy evolution at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, told CNS she is working to understand “how galaxies, like our own Milky Way, came to be, how they grew into the structure that we see today in the sky.”

The Milky Way, for example, is a flattened rotating disk, she said, but, like all galaxies, it started out “really messy and kind of clumpy.”

The Webb data “doesn’t really tell you about the Big Bang, because we cannot look that far back in time,” she said, but it should help scientists find out “how you go from basically a very homogeneous gas in the universe, so basically almost nothing, to all these amazing structures that we see in the sky.”

Being able to see these younger galaxies, Lunine said, is changing ideas about how the universe began.

For one thing, there seem to be many young galaxies that are brighter

and more developed than it was thought they should be, he said.

“They seem to be growing up too fast. It’s like going into a nursery school and discovering that all of the three-yearolds look like teenagers already. So what is going on?” he said. “Cosmologists have to revise how it is that structures form and grow in the earliest epoch of the universe.”

Karin Öberg, an astrochemist and professor of astronomy at Harvard University, told CNS the Webb telescope “is amazing at observing water and organics around young stars,” which can help them figure out “how planets are forming and how likely planets are to form with ingredients that make them hospitable to life.”

Right now, she said, the Webb telescope has been able to give information about the composition of larger planets and not Earth-like planets. But they are hoping next-generation telescopes will provide details about the atmospheres and, therefore, the composition of other Earth-like or rocky planets.

Lunine said, “The amazing structures and beauty of the universe are an expression of God’s creation and of this tremendous sense of order that comes from the creator. We’re able to see that now in greater detail and greater depth with this wonderful telescope.”

April 13, 2024

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Father Rene Canales, Pastor, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Lindenwold. He is a beloved priest who teaches what it means to evangelize with joy with his energetic and loving spirit.

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Registration

Suggested donation $40 in advance (children under 10-free), $45 for registration at the door. Light breakfast, lunch, and refreshments included.

Registration deadline March 30th.

Please register early! Seats are limited!

Make checks payable to Our Lady of Fatima Church, 501 New Market Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854. (732) 968-5555 website: www.olfparish.org/event

Retreat Agenda

• Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

• Chaplet of the Divine Mercy

• Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

• Blessing with the relic of St. Faustina

• Ongoing Sacrament of Reconciliation,

• Eucharistic healing prayers

• Blessing of religious items, water and salt.

Name(s)

Name(s)

Address

Phone Email # of adults # of children under 10

St. Thomas Aquinas High School continues developing premier girls basketball program

By Greg Johnson, Correspondent

Respect all but fear none.

It was a saying that the St. Thomas Aquinas girls basketball team repeated throughout the winter under first-year head coach Tim Corrigan, and that mindset helped the Trojans continue developing into one of New Jersey’s premier programs.

Based in Edison, St. Thomas Aquinas recently completed the 2023-24 season with a 22-8 record – its seventh straight campaign with at least 20 wins (not counting the 2021 season shortened by COVID-19) – and a fifth straight Great Middlesex Conference Tournament championship.

“It was a really good season for us, especially considering new coach, a lot of new players, a very young team,” said Corrigan, who was an assistant during the previous season under Joe Whalen after two years as the head girls coach at Watchung Hills. “It should be a very bright future for us moving forward.”

The Trojans’ starting lineup featured freshmen Lauryn Downing and Leah Kearney, sophomores Jordan Barnes and Trista Whitney, and junior Gianna Chuffo. Many programs would take a step back with that much youth, but Corrigan said his players quickly acclimated to the high school level because of their work ethic and willingness to hold each other accountable.

That comes naturally on a St. Thomas Aquinas roster where every girl aspires to play collegiately.

“When everybody comes into the gym, everybody’s focused, everybody’s trying to get better, everybody’s trying to take in all the knowledge that they can

give us, because that’s what you’re gonna need at the next level,” said Chuffo, who is currently being recruited by Division II schools.

Chuffo, a Woodbridge native who began playing organized basketball at about eight years old, led the team this season with 16.3 points per game and ranked second with 3.7 assists per game.

As a team captain and St. Thomas Aquinas’ most-experienced player with three varsity seasons under her belt, Chuffo filled a leadership void left by key graduations and transfers from last year.

“She was able to lead by example on the court, off the court, in the classroom, in every way possible,” Corrigan said. “No disrespect to anybody else, but she’s the hardest worker on the team. She’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around, so in every way she was the leader that we needed this year.”

Chuffo said she learned to adopt a regimented lifestyle in her first two seasons under Whalen, who stepped down last year because of health issues. She realized that the little details separate extraordinary players from ordinary ones, so she stays in the gym after a twohour practice to keep shooting, and then makes sure to finish her homework. She repeats that routine every day.

“We’re (focused on) going 110 percent in practice even though you’re dog tired,” Chuffo said. “It’s just the little things that I picked up on that maybe some people don’t think are that important, but they were definitely important for my season this year.”

Many of the girls play AAU basketball year-round, but contrary to popular belief with some non-public schools,

Corrigan says his staff doesn’t recruit kids. Most of St. Thomas Aquinas’ roster is from Middlesex County, with the furthest girl living about a half hour away in South Brunswick.

“It’s kids that are in middle school, eighth grade, who want to play somewhere maybe that offers them a little bit more exposure than their public schools, or it’s kids that are in a situation at their current high school that, for one reason or another, may not be that happy,” Corrigan said. “They reach out to us, and we see if there’s a fit for them academically and athletically.”

Corrigan acknowledges, however, that the program’s recent string of success “definitely puts us on the radar.”

In terms of the talent, Chuffo points out that there are four or five top players on the same team as opposed to one or two at most public schools.

“It gives you a chance to compete against other girls who are willing to compete with you,” Chuffo said. “At a public school you wouldn’t get that. They definitely made me better, and the coaches, it’s just unlimited amounts of information that you could just gain and take to the next level.”

Chuffo believes that Corrigan helped St. Thomas Aquinas evolve this season with a system that not only has set plays but gives players more opportunities to play freely in transition and create their own shots.

Corrigan played high school ball at nearby St. Joseph, collegiately at Kean, and professionally overseas for four years.

“Not only did he coach but he was in the position and he played, so he understands us,” Chuffo said. “He’s played

for years and years and years, and he still plays pickup on the weekends sometimes, so he understands the game.”

As part of a pro contract in Norway, Corrigan coached a women’s semi pro team when he was only 25 years old. He has since spent nearly 25 years coaching boys and girls ranging from first grade through the pros, with his St. Thomas Aquinas team being known for playing fast with a variety of offensive sets and defensive schemes. He also coaches an AAU boys program.

“Those are things I’ve picked up over the years, whether it’s been anywhere from something I did at the CYO level, all the way to, there’s some NBA and college sets that we use as well,” Corrigan said. “I just kind of pull from wherever I can. Either talking with other coaches, maybe scouting another team and seeing something that they do, or just seeing something that somebody posts to Twitter that looks like it could work for us. I’m always on the lookout.”

Both Corrigan and Chuffo are optimistic that all the players – St. Thomas Aquinas didn’t have any seniors this season – will return next winter for what Corrigan calls “unfinished business.”

As the girls continue growing bonds that began as fifth graders in recreational basketball, the goal next season will be to advance past the NJSIAA Non-Public A South quarterfinal round, where the Trojans have come up short in the state tournament for three straight years.

“I would say we definitely fought this year, and next year we’re gonna be 10 times better,” Chuffo said. “I can’t even imagine next year. We should win a state sectional with the pieces we have next year.”

Left, pictured in this STA team shot are, from left to right – Top row: Hailey Krainski, Jordan Barnes, Trista Whitney, Leah Kearney, Zoe Wilcher, Reese Sebok, Adrianna Torres. Bottom row: Chrisgeily Hernandez-Corcino, Lauryn Downing, Gianna Chuffo, Adriana Summersett, Madison Rorie. —Photos courtesy STAHS

Junior guard Gianna Chuffo (#3) was the team’s leading scorer and second in assists this season.

Sports can unite the world, celebrate diversity, pope tells athletes

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Sports has the power to unite people, regardless of their differences, and to remind everyone they are part of one human family, Pope Francis said.

“It is an instrument of inclusion that breaks down barriers and celebrates diversity,” he said Jan. 13.

And with the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games scheduled this year, “my hope is that, in the particularly dark historical moment we are living, sport can build bridges, break down barriers, and foster peaceful relations,” he added, recalling the tradition of the “Olympic truce.”

The pope made his remarks during an audience with members of the Vatican’s sports association, “Athletica Vaticana,” and representatives of partnering organizations, such as the world governing body of cycling – the Union Cycliste Internationale and the Italian Athletics Federation. Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, and Bishop Paul Tighe, dicastery secretary, were also present.

Founded in 2019, Athletica Vaticana includes Vatican employees or citizens, priests, nuns and members of the Swiss Guard, and competes in sporting competitions on the local, national and international level.

In his speech, the Pope expressed his “joy at the presence of Athletica Vaticana on the streets, the tracks and playing fields, and for your Christian witness in the great world of sport.”

“Athletica Vaticana has been committed to promoting fraternity, inclusion and solidarity, bearing witness to the Christian faith among sportsmen and women, amateurs and professionals,” he said.

He praised their desire to be close to those who are “fragile” or marginalized and their initiatives with young people with physical or intellectual disabilities, with prisoners, migrants and poor families.

“It is good that everyone participates in these meetings with the same dignity, including Olympic and Paralympic

champions, diplomats and members of the Curia. I repeat the word ‘closeness,’ a closeness that becomes tender with sport,” he said.

“Sport is a means to express one’s talents, but also to build society,” the Pope said. “Sport teaches us the value of fraternity. We are not islands: on the pitch, it does not matter where a person comes from, what language or culture they speak. What counts is the commitment and the common goal.”

“This unity in sport is a powerful metaphor for our lives. It reminds us that despite our differences, we are all members of the same human family. Sport has the power to unite people, regardless of their physical, economic or social abilities,” he said.

“I encourage every one of you to see sport as a path of life that may help you to build a more united community and to promote the values of Christian life: loyalty, sacrifice, team spirit, commitment, inclusion, asceticism, redemption,” he said, highlighting the importance of amateur sports, “which is the lifeblood of sporting activity.”

Social workers, counselor discuss effects of COVID, social media on teen mental health

INDIANAPOLIS (OSV News) – When does “just being a teenager” cross the line to a true mental health issue? What are the main causes of adolescent depression and anxiety? Why is it increasing? And how can faith help the healing process?

Between 2009 and 2019, the rate of adolescent depression nearly doubled, increasing from 8.1% to 15.8%, according to a 2021 analysis of National Survey on Drug User and Health studies during that decade. The survey’s results for 2022 shows that figure has risen to 20.1%.

Some sources of teen anxiety and depression are fairly common: pressure to make good grades, to excel in sports, to be accepted by peers; anxiety about the future; and family issues. But “the

pandemic has had a huge impact on teen mental health,” said Aly Weaver, a social worker at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis. “Most students were (essentially) by themselves for two years trying to learn online. As a result, many teens suffer from social anxiety, generalized anxiety and/or depression.”

A trend that started before the pandemic is social media, particularly through the use of smartphones. Teens ages 13-18 spend an average of nine hours on their phones per day – not including use for homework – according to a 2021 study by Common Sense Media. Regardless of the cause for teen anxiety, stress and depression, counseling can help.

Parishes from every corner in our nation will gather at the feet of Jesus, boldly anticipating a new Pentecost at the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Your life—and our Church—will never be the same.

For information on the Diocesan Pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress with Bishop James F. Checchio visit www.diometuchen.org/nec2024.

Pope Francis meets with members of “Athletica Vaticana,” a sports organization associated with Vatican City State, and members of partnering organizations at the Vatican Jan. 13, 2024. —CNS photo/Vatican Media

Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS

1 Time covered in the first creation story

5 Telly watchers

10 Citi Field players

14 Designer Piccone

15 Commandment mount

16 Land measure

17 Prepare to be shot

18 Sun-dried brick

19 A queen of Jordan

20 Sum

22 St.John XXIII’s surname

24 Catholic Surrealist painter

27 Own person

28 Certain sin

32 Samson killed Philistines with the jawbone of this animal

33 Delay

34 Shades

36 Religious offshoots

40 Highly excited

42 Chilly

44 “___ Mary”

45 Let go

47 Unit of weight in gemstones

49 Fascist leader?

50 “…there is nothing ___ under the sun” (Eccl 1:9)

52 Summer beverage

54 Fast and ___

58 Latin 101 verb

59 Perplex

61 ___ Coeur

65 H.S. course

66 Blessing before meals

69 Laugh loudly

70 Barbarous person

71 Eject

72 Arab ruler

73 Late Catholic senator and namesakes

74 Is inclined

75 Clarets

DOWN

1 Peter did this after he denied Jesus

2 A Rachael Ray favorite

3 Direction from Bethlehem to the Jordan

4 Mixes dough

5 US young men’s org.

6 Free

7 “Are you ___ out?”

8 Banned

9 Yellowish brown pigment

10 Elder son of Joseph

11 Eleve’s place

12 Cave-dwelling dwarf

13 Letter cross-line

21 The ___ Supper

23 Luck

25 Daniel was in this

animal’s den

26 Grecian architectural style

28 Patron saint of Norway

29 Wise Men

30 Composer Stravinsky

31 Monarchy in the Himalayas

35 Shopping fun

37 Jesus turned water into wine here

38 Heading for overtime

39 ___ gin fizz

41 Paul, Apostle to the ___

43 Edible roots

46 Distribute cards

48 Throw

51 Gizmo

53 “___ My God to Thee”

54 Top monk

55 Light brown

56 “…the ___ of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17)

57 Impertinence

60 Genesis event

62 “…thy kingdom ___”

63 Sudden assault

64 Transgresses

67 Religious instruction, formerly (abbr.)

68 Aliens, briefly

Answers can be found on page 43

www

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

AI have never heard of this either!

The relevant citation in Code of Canon Law, Canon 1247, indicates: “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Mass.” But canon law never mentions an upper age limit for this obligation.

There are some obligations for Catholics which do have stated age parameters. For example, Canon 1252 tells us that the obligation to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday “binds those who have attained their majority, until the beginning of their sixtieth year,” meaning that once a Catholic turns 60 they are no longer required to keep the fast. The fact that our law demonstrates its willingness to set upper age limits for some obligations makes the lack of a stated age limit for the Sunday obligation all the more striking.

That being said, nobody is bound to an obligation that is impossible or gravely difficult to fulfill. It can happen that by the time a person reaches 80, various age-related issues could prevent them from attending Mass in person. For

QDid Pope Benedict XVI validly resign even though he did not renounce the munus? (Scottsville, VA)

Are you relieved of the duty to attend Mass on Sunday at a certain age?

QMy older sister told me that after age 80, you are relieved of the duty to attend Sunday Mass. I didn’t believe her until a friend who is 86 told me the same thing. I have never heard of this. Is it true? (Ocean View, Del.)

example, health issues might leave them too ill to go out to church, and transportation might become an issue if an elderly person is no longer able to drive. In colder climates, winter weather conditions might also present more of a concern for a senior citizen than they would for someone a few decades younger.

But if an octogenarian thereby found themselves to be no longer bound by the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays, this lack of an obligation would be directly attributable to one of these kinds of above-mentioned reasons, and not simply due to the year they were born. An 80-something Catholic in good health who was capable of physically traveling to Mass would be just as bound to observe the Sunday obligation as their younger counterparts. And, by the same token, a 20-something Catholic who was legitimately impeded from attending Mass due to reasons of health or logistics would be likewise excused from the Sunday obligation.

At the end of the day, our discernment of whether or not we are excused from the duty to attend Mass is a matter

AAs many of us will recall, on Feb. 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI surprised the world when, after noting his advancing age and declining health, he announced: “ … For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant.”

The 1983 Code of Canon Law had already accounted for the possibility – however theoretical it might have seemed at the time of the drafting of the code – for a pope to step down.

As Canon 332, Paragraph 2 tells us: “Should it happen that the Roman Pontiff resigns from his office, it is required for validity that the resignation be freely made and properly manifested, but it is not necessary that it be accepted by anyone.”

Thus, canonically only two elements are necessary for a papal resignation to be valid: 1. That the resignation come about as a result of a truly free choice on the part of the Holy Father – e.g., a res-

of conscience. That is, the church trusts us to make this determination in good faith; we’re not asked to provide “proof” to anyone that attending Mass is prohibitively difficult for us.

But if an older adult is having a hard time weighing whether their circumstances truly excuse them from the Sunday obligation, it might be helpful for them to ask for advice from one’s confessor or parish priest.

And although it would not be strictly necessary, if it helps to bring clarity or ease the conscience of a Catholic who is on the fence about whether or not they should stay home from Mass, it is possible to request a formal dispensation from the Sunday obligation. Such

ignation made under threat of violence would not “count” – and 2. That this resignation be “properly manifested.” This latter aspect means that it should be public and obvious what the incumbent pope intends to do. Or, in other words, the pope privately expressing a wish to resign to a handful of close confidants would not effect a valid resignation; nor would a papal resignation take effect if the only evidence of it were rumors or secondhand accounts.

As far as anyone can reasonably discern, Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation plainly fulfilled both of these criteria. There was no evidence that Benedict was coerced or pressured to resign, and he specifically mentioned that he was making this choice “with full freedom.” And Pope Benedict clearly manifested his intention to step down; his resignation announcement was made at a meeting of the College of Cardinals and in front of several journalists.

At the time, different people had different feelings on the appropriateness of a contemporary pope deciding to abdicate for reasons of physical infirmity and old age. However, the general consensus among canon lawyers was that this resignation was nevertheless lawful and ef-

a dispensation can be granted by either the local bishop or – as would likely be more convenient for most people – from the pastor of one’s territorial parish. (See Canons 87 and 1245.)

As per Canon 1245, a bishop or pastor can also “commute” the Sunday obligation to “some other pious work.” This means that the proper authority can essentially set some other prayerful activity as a substitution for the Sunday obligation for a specific person in a particular case. So, for example, if a senior citizen feels uncomfortable traveling to Mass, their bishop or pastor can “change” the Sunday obligation to something like prayerfully reflecting on the readings of the day or watching a televised Mass.

fective. Still, as you note, there was some limited speculation that Benedict XVI might not have resigned validly.

One such argument was that the resignation was invalid because Benedict supposedly did not resign the “munus” – a Latin term that, depending on the context, can be best translated into English as “office” or “duties” – of the papacy explicitly.

But, as I see it, this argument doesn’t hold water because the papacy is technically nothing more than an “office” (albeit a deeply significant one). That is, unlike priestly or episcopal ordination, which can be primarily understood as a personal, sacramental configuring to Christ independent of any “job” or “position” that a priest or bishop might eventually hold, at the end of the day the role of pope is in some sense “just a job.” There is no sacrament that makes a bishop into a pope; a newly elected pope essentially just accepts a new position as the head of a new diocese, the Diocese of Rome.

Therefore, if a pope is announcing his resignation from the papacy, it’s already very strongly implied that he intends to renounce the papacy as an office or “munus,” even if he doesn’t specifically use the exact word “munus.”

An elderly woman is pictured in a file photo praying during Mass at St. Peter Claver Church in Baltimore. —OSV News photo/Bob Roller

Pope Benedict XVI reads his resignation in Latin to a meeting of cardinals at the Vatican Feb. 11, 2013. —CNS photo/Vatican Media

After spending more than a millennium in relative obscurity, Saint Joseph has become the second-most mentioned saint in the papal magisterium after the Virgin Mary. To understand the life and importance of Saint Joseph, a good place to start is with the first papal title ever granted him: “Patron of the Universal Church.”

What is it that Saint Joseph has to offer the Church — and each one of us — today? That’s the question that A Man Named Joseph: Guardian for Our Times seeks to answer. To get there, author, podcaster, and blogger Joe Heschmeyer cuts through a lot of our misconceptions to see what the Bible and the earliest Christians really say about Joseph as a model husband, father, and saint. Questions at the end of each chapter help guide personal reflection and group discussion.

Whatever we may be facing in life, we can go to Joseph for his example, his protection, and his prayers.

FURTHER READING

Saint Joseph alone was called to be a father to the Son of God, and his fidelity and courage show each of us how to respond to our vocation as a disciple of Jesus and friend of God. In his wisdom, the Lord empowers Joseph to open his fatherly care to all Christians, to show us how to hear the word of God and act on it, and to shine in every age as a model of faith.

The Litany of Saint Joseph is a powerful prayer that leads us to consider the many ways in which Joseph faithfully and diligently carried out the will of God. As the litany guides us in proclaiming the wonders of Saint Joseph, we are drawn into contemplating the mysteries of God, whom Joseph never fails to praise and serve.

Each of the reflections in this devotional focuses on one of the twenty-two names, titles, or honors of Saint Joseph that we encounter in his litany. As we pray to Saint Joseph, offering our petitions to his care, and contemplating his life and his witness, we are drawn into communion with God who yearns to dwell with each of us, and dwelt in this world in the household of his Saint Joseph.

Saint Joseph, pray for us!

Discover the world of Francesca Cabrini in this moving book that not only educates children about a remarkable person in American history, but inspires them with stories of her compassion, courage, vision, and miracles.

Angel Studios, the production company behind the major motion picture Cabrini, engaged Catholic, award-winning children’s author Claudia Cangilla McAdam to pen a picture book to accompany this film.

Featuring the vibrant artwork of Richard Cowdrey, Mother Cabrini’s work comes to life on every page.

To preorder this book, please visit https://sophiainstitute.com/product/mother-cabrini/

Deacon Steven D. Greydanus

What kind of world do we want, and what will we do to achieve it? Those are the questions with which Alejandro Monteverdi’s “Cabrini” leaves us at the end of its 140 minutes. The questions land harder after the story we’ve seen.

The first time we see the face of Cristiana Dell’anna as Francesca Saverio Cabrini – Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, as she’s best known in the English-speaking world – she is donning her coif and wimple before a mirror, her expression a fragile mask of resolve belying the violent coughing fit from which she has just recovered. This act of vesting, it becomes clear, is a kind of gearing up for battle. It is spiritual warfare, of course, but the battlefield is everywhere, both inside and outside the Church. The enemy’s assets include sexism, anti-Italian bigotry, and both clericalism and anti-clericalism, as well as extremes of desperate poverty and privileged wealth side by side, never the twain meeting.

Repeatedly Mother Cabrini is told to “stay where you belong” or scolded for “wandering into rooms where you don’t belong.” In a flashback to a key childhood incident – a near-fatal drowning that left her with compromised lungs and a lifelong fear of water – we hear a doctor declaring that “her bed will be her life –that is where she belongs.”

Today St. Frances Cabrini is celebrated as a pioneer: the first U.S. citizen to become a canonized saint, the first Catholic woman to lead an overseas mission, and the trailblazing founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which runs charitable institutions the world over. Yet “Cabrini” emphasizes that none of it would have happened had Mother Cabrini been content to remain in spaces deemed appropriate for her by the powerful men around her. Opening on March 8, International Women’s Day, “Cabrini” evokes the much-misattributed remark of American historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich that “Well-behaved women seldom make history.”

A prologue, set in New York in 1889, establishes the harsh reality that will confront Mother Cabrini and her six sisters upon their arrival later that year. A young boy we come to know as Paolo (Federico Ielapi) trots desperately through the streets of the Five Points neighborhood pushing a wheelbarrow containing his dying mother to a hospital. In the hospital his cries for help are ignored by uncomprehending staff, and a blue-frocked police officer roughly shows him the door.

A small detail twists the knife: Paolo has been turned away from Mount Carmel Hospital – a Catholic institution. The police officer and most of the staff are probably Irish American, like New York Archbishop Michael Corrigan (David

Cabrini’ celebrates human dignity and solidarity; the saint remains an enigma

Morse), who initially wants to send the sisters packing back to Italy. The problems of the impoverished Italians of Five Points are by and large not the concern even of their fellow New York Catholics.

Like Monteverde’s last film, the controversial human-trafficking drama “Sound of Freedom,” “Cabrini” is an Angel Studios production cowritten by Rod Barr and Monteverde, lensed by Spanish cinematographer Gorka Gómez Andreu, and edited by F. Brian Scofield. Monteverde’s gently roving, classically precise camera movements and Gómez Andreu’s expertly illuminated, luminous cinematography make every shot count; even night scenes (often murky in digital cinematography) are gratifyingly lucid, and Carlos Lagunas’s extraordinary production design is never wasted.

As single-minded as its protagonist, “Cabrini” drives home in every scene its themes of human dignity – particularly the dignity of women and marginalized groups including immigrants and the poor – and solidarity in the face of prejudice and social injustice. “At the hour of our death,” the saint declares in a key speech, “We will all be asked one question: What did we do for the poor? The sick? The homeless? Those stripped of dignity?” These themes remain as pressing in 2024 as they were in 1894.

This relentless focus makes the film more effective as hagiography (a word with unjust pejorative associations) than as character drama. Barr’s screenplay is more interested in celebrating what Mother Cabrini accomplished and the obstacles she overcame than in exploring what kind of person undertakes such challenges or what moves them to do it. Mother Cabrini’s struggles are almost exclusively external; what access we have to the enigma of her interiority is mediated almost entirely through Dell’anna’s subtle, thoughtful acting choices.

The relative absence of religious praxis and even religious language is an oddity. When Mother Cabrini tells her sisters that, without the support of men, “we must trust even more in ourselves,” she might have added trust in their order’s namesake, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but she doesn’t. When she later says, “I can do all things…” she pauses long enough to generate real suspense about whether she will finish the Pauline quotation, which is also the motto for the institution: “…through him who strengthens me” (cf. Philippians 4:13). Theologically, my favorite moment is a creative metaphor at Mother Cabrini’s lowest point suggesting God effectively stooping down and lifting her up from the temptation to give up.

Giancarlo Giannini deepens the character of Pope Leo XIII with sensitive warmth, while John Lithgow embraces the villainy of a fictional New York mayor. Other fictional characters include a prostitute played by Romana Maggiora Vergano who improbably becomes Mother Cabrini’s closest confidante (the other sisters are little more than names) a New York Times reporter (Jeremy Bobb) who became an important ally, and an initially hostile opera singer (Rolando Villazón). Well-acted and well mounted, “Cabrini” is a worthwhile tribute to a great woman and the causes she championed. I wish it went a little deeper.

Steven D. Greydanus, a deacon for the Archdiocese of Newark, has been writing about film since 2000, when he created Decent Films, for film appreciation and criticism informed by Catholic faith. For 10 years he co-hosted the Gabriel Award–winning cable TV show “Reel Faith” for New Evangelization Television, has appeared frequently on Catholic radio and written for a number of Catholic outlets.

Cristiana Dell’Anna stars in a scene from the movie “Cabrini.” —OSV News photo/ Angel Studios

DIOCESAN EVENTS

Bible Seminar, Job, the suffering of the innocent, 7 to 9 p.m. at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway. Sponsored by Office of Hispanic Evangelization and Pastoral Ministry. Father Gustavo Amell of St. Joseph Shrine, Stirling, will guide participants through the book of Job in a reflection about the suffering in our own lives. Cost for the seminar is $20 with a special discount for those attending the Diocesan Hispanic Bible School. For more information and registration visit: www.diometuchen.org/ taller-de-biblia-introduccion or contact Lescobar @diometuchen.org or call 732-243-4573

Chrism Mass, 4 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Synod on Synodality Interim Stage. At 7 p.m., the Diocese will host a virtual listening session. Anyone who is interested is encouraged to register and receive a link to attend. For more information visit: www.diometuchen.org/synod2024 or contact, Jennifer Ruggiero, Secretary, Secretariat for Family and Pastoral Life, at jruggiero@diometuchen.org

Adult Enrichment Course, “World Religions” – presented by the office of Ongoing Faith Formation will be held on ten consecutive Thursdays beginning April 18 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway. Classes will be presented by Father Glenn Comandini, S.T.D., Coordinator of Ongoing Faith Formation, and will include a lecture and Q & A. A $15 fee to attend covers all 12 sessions. Register online at: www.diometuchen.org/faith-formation (please register only one time for all 12 classes) For more information, email: amarshall@diometuchen.org or call 732-562-1543.

Diocesan Youth Day – Sponsored by the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, the day will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Edison. Throughout the course of the day, eighth to 12th grade teens will come together for Mass, hear talks from Chika Anyanwu, have the opportunity for Adoration and Confession, enjoy live music, good food and have fun. To register visit: https://www. diometuchen.org/diocesan-youth-day

Multicultural Mass & Fair – At the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen. Bishop Checchio will celebrate Mass at 10 a.m., followed by a festive celebration of the different ethnic groups in our diocesan family, sharing their food, song and dance. For more information contact: Sister Miriam Perez, coordinator for Multicultural Ministries at: 732-529-7933 or mperez@diometuchen.org.

Hispanic Pilgrimage to the Blue Army Shrine. 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. All are welcome to participate in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Confessions, prayer of the Rosary and Angelus and closing Mass at the Blue Army Shrine, Washington, NJ. The event is free. No prior registration is required. Please bring your lunch, the Shrine does not have a cafeteria service. For more information, please contact: Lescobar@diometuchen.org.

DIOCESAN PROGRAMS

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

Bible Study in a Year – This virtual women’s group will be following Father Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” podcast and meeting each Sunday at 2:30 on Zoom to discuss insights from the week. For details or ti participate contact Cristina at: cdaverso@diometuchen.org

Lectio Divina for Couples & Families – This virtual program for couples and families is held two Thursdays per month at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. The program includes praying a meditative reading of a short scripture passage. For questions and more details, contact cdaverso@diometuchen.org

Immigration Talks - the Office of Hispanic Evangelization and Pastoral Ministry will be resuming immigration talks in coordination with Catholic Charities. If your parish is interested in hosting an immigration talk, email: lescobar@diometuchen.org and indicate the best day for an immigration talk to your parish and community.

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Eucharistic Adorers Wanted – The Shrine Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, in Raritan, is looking for adorers to sit with the Blessed Sacrament Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is also being offered the third Thursday of each month (Night Vigil) from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Anyone interested in signing up should visit https://blessedsacramentshrine.com/.

March 27 - Seder Meal at St. Cecilia Parish, Monmouth Junction, 6 p.m. The purpose of this celebration is to honor Catholic roots in Judaism and celebrate the meaning, prayers, ritual, and food that are so significant to the Catholic liturgy. For more information call Dr. Carol Funk, coordinator, at 848-391-9656 or email drcarolfunk@yahoo.com.

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ST. JOSEPH CHURCH – MENDHAM IS SEEKING A FULL-TIME DIRECTOR OF FAITH FORMATION / FAMILY LIFE

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - GRAPHIC DESIGNER

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

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The Director of Faith Formation/Family Life reports to the Pastor and is responsible for the religious education and formation of parish children (grades K-8), including the sacramental preparation of Reconciliation, Holy Eucharist, Confirmation in consultation with the Confirmation Coordinator. The position will also include developing a strategy which will invite our catechetical families and young adults to a fuller participation in the life of the parish. Qualified candidates should forward resume and cover letter to Rev. Msgr. Joseph Anginoli at: jcronin@stjoesmendham.org The

April 19 & 20 - The Best of All’s the Heart, free public concerts of sacred music presented by the Caritas Chamber Chorale, on the 19th at St. Vincent de Paul Church, Stirling and on the 20th at Our Lady of Mount Virgin Church, Middlesex. Both concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. This choral concert is entirely a cappella. Proceeds benefit Adorno Fathers’ Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. For more information visit: www.caritaschamberchorale.org or email: director@ caritaschamberchorale.org.

July 10 – Divine Mercy Shrine Pilgrimage sponsored by St. Philip & St. James Church, Phillipsburg.

Bus will depart from Church at 7 a.m. and return 10:30 p.m. Cost for the trip is $80 which covers bus and driver gratuity. For details and reservations, contact Camille at 908-319- 2719.

Sept. 23-Oct. 3 - Pilgrimage to Spain, featuring Fatima, Lourdes, Barcelona. Hosted by Father Edmund Luciano III. $3899 FROM NEWARK (Air/land tour price is $3379 plus $520 gov’t taxes/airline surcharges). Featuring: Roundtrip airfare from Newark; first class/ select hotels; most meals; comprehensive sightseeing with a professional tour guide; entrance fees & hotel service charge. For more information call the parish office of the Church of Sacred Heart, South Plainfield, at 908-725-0552, ext. 806 or email at info@churchofthe sacredheart.net.

• goes to press April 15

• ad space reservation deadline - March 29

• ad artwork deadline - April 3

• late requests considered if space allows