The soft tap of a small hammer echoes through a hallway in the ministry center of Resurrection Parish in Randolph on a Sunday morning in December. Shortly after, a new “holy door” — decorated with colorful handmade cartoon-like images of Biblical scenes that depict God’s mercy — opens up at one end of the corridor. A class of eager fifth-grade religious education students gathers in front of the beautifully adorned “holy door,” waiting for their opportunity to walk under its threshold.

The Young Adult Ministry of St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization at Bayley-Ellard in Madison took the opportunity during its 2nd Annual Mass with Bishop Serratelli Jan. 9 to honor the “faithful witness” of one of its own: Trevor Jones, who plans on stepping down from his position as minister to young adults, ages 23-39, to devote more time to his family.

Poverty. It’s a word that many of us living in the United States of America — the land of plenty — never think about. Maybe it is because we can’t relate to it because we don’t live it. Or maybe we think it just doesn’t exist in the good, old USA.

As cast stones arrive for installation, the gilding of the bell tower cross is completed, dangerous brownstone spalling is removed and prep work for the stained glass window new protective glazing continues.

Crawl space structural steel is installed; first layer of floor decking is completed allowing the installation of the interior scaffolding to access the nave ceiling for demolition to begin.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Our Lady of Pompeii Church in Paterson to celebrate the vigil Mass for the Feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 2.

Parishioners of St. Paul Church in Clifton welcomed Bishop Serratelli on the Feast of the Epiphany Jan. 3, when he made a pastoral visit to the parish and celebrated Mass in Spanish. The feast is also known as Three Kings Day.

Bishop Serratelli joined many Catholics from the Diocese and beyond, especially young people, on Dec. 5 at St. Christopher Parish in Parsippany for “Mercy Rocks,” a worship concert to got them “fired up” about the Jubilee Year of Mercy and upcoming World Youth Day (WYD) 2016. It did so by presenting a mixture of media — music, video and witness presentations — and devotion — Benediction, Adoration, veneration of holy relics and a procession.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Our Lady of Consolation (OLC) Church in Wayne on New Year’s Day where he celebrated Mass for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, a Holy Day of Obligation.

With a helpful hand from students, Bishop Serratelli turned over a ceremonial shovelful of soil on Monday to break ground on a $2 million, two-story addition to St. Vincent Martyr School in Madison scheduled for completion by August. It will provide six more classrooms and much-needed breathing room for an upper-grade student population that has grown fourfold in recent years since the re-establishment of the middle-school grades.

What does the March for Life mean to you? For some, it means protesting the sin of abortion. For others, it’s standing together in solidarity with other like-minded pro-lifers to be a voice for the voiceless in the womb.

On the Sunday after Christmas, the Church marks the beautiful Feast of the Holy Family. The feast was especially meaningful for my wife and me because our granddaughter, Grace Elizabeth Sullivan, was baptized during Mass on that day. And we shared our joy with family members who came from near and far to witness Grace Elizabeth receive the Sacrament of Baptism.