News - April 2019 RSS Feed

Bishop Serratelli served as main celebrant and homilist for the 11 a.m. Easter Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Whippany on April 20. Easter, the chief feast of the Church’s ecclesiastical year, commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. During the Mass, the Bishop announced that he had named Father Roberto Amador, the parish’s administrator, as the new pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish.

Waking up early on Easter Sunday morning, parishioners of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Boonton celebrated Easter at sunrise at a 6:30 a.m. Resurrection Mass celebrated by Bishop Serratelli on April 21. A Polish tradition, the Easter Mass at dawn began with the Procession of the Resurrection featuring an image of the Resurrected Jesus.

Bishop Serratelli presided at the Easter Vigil Mass in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson at 8 p.m. on Holy Saturday, April 20. This is the night that “shall be as bright as day” as proclaimed by the Exsultet, an ancient church hymn, as the Church joyfully anticipates Christ’s Resurrection.

Parishioners of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson re-enacted the Living Stations of the Cross on April 19 at 1 p.m. This annual Good Friday tradition began at the Bishop Rodimer Center adjacent to the Cathedral on Grand Street processed through the streets of the city. It concluded in the cathedral with a re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Bishop Serratelli presided at the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, April 19 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. The solemn service began with the Liturgy of the Word, including the account of the Passion and Death of Jesus. The Veneration of the Cross, an ancient practice that allows each person to touch or kiss the Cross, followed.

Bishop Serratelli celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening, April 18, in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. The Mass commemorates the institution of the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Holy Orders by Jesus Christ. During the Mass, just as Jesus washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, the Bishop washed the feet of St. John’s parishioners to symbolize the service and charity of Christ, who came “not to be served, but to serve.”

Bishop Serratelli was the homilist and main celebrant, with priests of the Diocese as concelebrants, at the Diocese’s annual Mass of Chrism April 15 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. During the Mass, priests of the Diocese renewed their priestly promises before the Bishop and received the prayers and support of the people of God, who filled the cathedral to overflowing.

Bishop Serratelli will ordain four diocesan seminarians to the transitional diaconate on Friday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. in St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Morristown. This rite brings the men a step closer to being called to ordination as priests of the Diocese next year.

Less than a year after its grammar school closed permanently, St. Pius X Parish in Montville took the opportunity to recommit itself to supporting the mission of Catholic education by signing up this month as a partner of All Saints Academy (ASA) in Parsippany — joining the three Parsippany parishes that had come together to establish the school 10 years ago. Roughly 60 former St. Pius School students already had enrolled in ASA last fall.

For a decade and a half, parishioners of St. Matthew Parish in Randolph have been bringing Easter joy to the children at Holy Trinity Parish in Passaic by making Easter baskets for them. These colorful baskets with festive Easter grass were filled with Easter candy, chocolate and toys. More than 400 Easter baskets were delivered by St. Matthew parishioners to the inner-city parish to be given to the children for Easter.

It was heartbreaking to watch live the fire that ravaged the famed Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris on April 15. As a majestic spire was consumed by the flames and fell to the ground, thoughts of the grand history of the building over the centuries and its meaning, not only to French Catholics but also to Catholics worldwide, flashed through my mind. After all, Notre Dame had survived the ravages of the French Revolution, World War I and World War II. I thought of those faithful Catholics of the 12th century who began building this magnificent edifice in honor of Our Lady. It took more than 100 years to complete, so those who began to build it never saw its completion. That was left to a new generation of the faithful to carry on to its completion.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Paul Church in Clifton where he celebrated the vigil Mass for Palm Sunday on April 13. During the Mass, palms were blessed by the Bishop to mark Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday begins Holy Week.

Bishop Serratelli served as main celebrant and homilist of Mass on Palm Sunday April 14 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. Palm Sunday commemorates the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem when palm branches were placed in his path, before his arrest on Holy Thursday and his crucifixion on Good Friday.

Long before starting her new position as coordinator of faith and leadership formation for the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry in Madison, Maria Moncaleano of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic had been serving as a “missionary disciple” of Christ through a series professional and volunteer leadership experiences in her home parish, in the Diocese and beyond. Over the past two years, she has been instrumental in helping to guide the Diocese through V Encuentro — part of a four-year process to revitalize Hispanic Ministry in the U.S.

The diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry has wasted little time in addressing the five pastoral priorities for serving the ever-growing Spanish-speaking population in the Church of Paterson that were selected during a diocesan gathering last year of 400 delegates from Hispanic ministries in 32 parishes. The gathering was part of V Encuentro — a four-year process to help revitalize Hispanic ministry in the U.S. Their priorities for the Diocese focused on the areas of social assistance, faith formation, marriage and family life, youth and young adults and the Office of Hispanic Ministry.

Picture being in a packed baseball stadium with fans cheering. It’s the bottom of the ninth. Two outs. The bases are loaded. Zach Drexler steps up to home plate with a bat in his hands ready to deliver a hit to win the game. The 30-year-old Drexler said that’s how he looks at his life, like a baseball game. “My life and the decisions I make are in my hands alone,” he said.

Today begins the most solemn and holiest days on the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. With the beginning of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper tonight, the Church enters into the Sacred Triduum. The Triduum concludes with Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday. On Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper relives the institution of the Eucharist and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the Last Supper, as well as the institution of the priesthood, which took place the evening before Jesus was crucified.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Francis DeSales Parish in the McAfee section of Vernon April 6 where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. During the Mass, the Bishop administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people of the parish. The Bishop also named Father Christopher Barkhausen as pastor of St. Francis. He was serving the parish as its administrator.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Mary Church in Denville April 7 where he celebrated Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. During the Mass, he also administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people of the parish.

Does your prayer life leave you frustrated — feeling like you should be getting more out of the holy experience of communicating with God, like you should be devoting more time to it or like you are going about it wrong? If so, then let Michael St. Pierre, executive director of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association, become your “prayer coach” and put his years of expertise in workplace and personal time management, productivity and performance to work in your spiritual life.