More Good News

Bishop Serratelli ordained eight men as priests of the Diocese of Paterson during Mass on Saturday, May 11 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson — the mother church of the Diocese. He challenged these new priests to carry out their priestly ministry “with constant joy and genuine love, attending not to your own concerns, but to those of Jesus Christ.”

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Joseph Parish in Passaic and was main celebrant of the Mass May 12 for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, which was also Mother’s Day. During the Mass, 10 children of the parish made their First Communion, receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist for the first time.

Czarina Alfonso, 17, a parishioner of St. Philip the Apostle in Clifton, believes that vaccinations save lives. Her belief is so strong that protecting young children from serious illnesses has become her mission. A graduate of St. Philip Prep and currently a junior at the Academy of the Holy Angels in Demarest, Alfonso is founder of “Give It a Shot,” a non-profit organization that provides pneumococcal vaccines to daycare-aged children in the Philippines. According to UNICEF data, pneumonia remains the leading cause of death among children under five, killing 2,400 children a day worldwide.

Bishop Serratelli administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish here during the vigil Mass at which he was the principal celebrant and homilist to mark the Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 11.

It could be a photo or a precious memory. There are a few things that can still bring Mary Ramsden to tears, as she grieves — and will continue to grieve — for her late daughter Nicole, remembering the girl’s sweet laugh, bright smile, blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. It has been almost 10 years since Nicole died of complications from acute myeloid leukemia at 12 years old — an eternity for Ramsden, director of religious education at Our Lady of the Magnificat (OLM) Parish in Kinnelon, and her husband, John, whose unimaginable pain has tested the limits of their family and their faith in God.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Annunciation of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary Parish here where he celebrated Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 12, which was also Mother’s Day.

From the first note, worshippers started clapping, as they began lifting their singing voices in praise. The Contemporary Youth Ensemble (CYE) had just launched into the processional hymn of the 6 p.m. Sunday Mass in St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church here: the driving “Rain Down” — a modern song that led churchgoers into a deep sense of prayer, while also giving high-spirited voice to their joy as Catholics.