News - January 2021 RSS Feed

Three former teachers — Mari Jo “Ms. D” Dagostino, Catherine “Ms. A” Auriemma, and Judy-Ann Rosa — not only made a lasting impact on St. Patrick School in Chatham, but they also shared a special bond — and distinction — rare today in the field of education.

With nerves of steel and laser focus, Jason Agnoli stood at the podium on stage in the gym of DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne to make his “pitch” of the entrepreneurial kind. Dressed in a business suit, Agnoli, a DePaul senior, weathered intense pressure on the night of Jan. 21 to deliver a presentation to sell investors — in the gym and on videoconferencing — about his innovative product idea. Armed with a catchy name, The Slide Basket makes it easier for people to carry laundry by giving them a basket with an incline-shaped bottom that could slide up and down the stairs, he said in his PowerPoint slide presentation.

Bishop Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Agnes Parish in Paterson Jan. 24 where he celebrated Mass for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Bishop’s visit also came near the feast day (Jan. 21) of the parish’s patron, St. Agnes.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Stephen Church in Paterson Jan. 21 where he celebrated an evening Mass in Spanish to mark the feast day of Our Lady of Altagracia, which is a major celebration in the Dominican Republic, the homeland of many of the parishioners.

At 12 years old, Peyton Triano is using her talents in a big way that helps others, especially during a challenging time for so many in the Diocese. From cakes to cookies, Triano hosts bake sales and other baking-themed fundraisers to support the food pantry at the Father English Center in Paterson. Feeling a deep connection with others her age, Triano’s mission is specifically meant to help children and uses the profits to provide ‘kid-friendly’ food bags and birthday cupcakes and candles to families with children.

For the Basauri family, parishioners of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, the fight against abortion is personal and being advocates for life is something that siblings, Rafael and Sylvia Basauri, learned from their parents. The brother and sister, who are youth leaders of the Young Prophets at St. John’s, spoke at the Youth Vigil for Life with Bishop Sweeney sharing their personal witnesses at the cathedral Jan. 22. The vigil took place on the grim anniversary date of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal 48 years ago.

So much for the “unity and healing” of the nation President Biden called for in his inaugural address Jan. 20. Two days later, on Jan. 22, the 48th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, while the prolife community was fasting and praying for an end to this abomination, President Biden and Vice President Harris issued a statement delivering a gut punch to everyone who believes in the sanctity of life in the womb.

I recently finished reading a book published earlier this year, called American Catholics: A History by Leslie Woodcock Tentler. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys learning about American History, especially those who are interested in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States. Towards the end of the book, Ms. Tentler recounts and analyzes the five-day visit of Pope Francis to the United States in 2015.

Parishioners of St. Thomas the Apostle in Sandyston welcomed Bishop Sweeney during his visit to the Sussex County parish on Jan. 17. During the visit, the Bishop marked the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. He also celebrated his birthday at the parish Sunday after Mass.

Bishop Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. James the Greater Church in Montague Jan. 17 where he celebrated Mass marking the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. On that day, the Bishop also marked his birthday and received birthday wishes from the parishioners.

Bishop Sweeney made a pastoral visit to Bethlehem Hermitage in Chester last week where he celebrated Mass for the hermits and visitors in the chapel.

The Paterson Diocese announced plans for an observance of the Year of St. Joseph — part of celebrations of the saint that are taking place throughout the Universal Church by decree of Pope Francis — with a wide array of devotions and activities until the conclusion of world-wide celebrations in December. These activities and events — to take place on the diocesan, parish, and personal levels — will give local Catholics numerous opportunities to honor and become inspired by the faithful example of St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus.

After looking back at its rich legacy made of faith, stone, and heart that predates the Civil War for its 175th anniversary last year, St. Mary Parish here began 2021 looking toward its next era. It began with two events on Jan. 16: the installation Mass for Father Lemmuel Camacho as its pastor and the dedication of a shrine to St. Joseph and Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first millennial to be beatified in the Church.

In many states across the nation, pro-life advocates are seeing some light in their ongoing efforts to curb abortion. In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem (R), in her 2021 State of the State address, asked state lawmakers to introduce a bill banning abortions based on a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. “The Declaration of Independence summarizes what we all know in our hearts to be true — that God created each of us and endowed all of us with the right to life. This is true for everyone, including those with an extra chromosome,” she said to a standing ovation from legislators.

In recent days, my thoughts have turned to the words of the Pledge of Allegiance: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I would encourage you to Google “Pledge of Allegiance.” I was surprised to learn that its history is traced back to 1892 and that, “The last change in language came on Flag Day 1954, when Congress passed a law which added the words “under God” after “one Nation.”

Bishop Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Therese Parish in Paterson Jan. 10. During his visit, he celebrated Mass marking the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

When the first man and woman disobeyed God’s command not to eat the apple from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden, it touched off a cycle of environmental devastation of earth, our common home, by the human race that continues to this day. It started when they “decided to do things their way, not God’s way,” which disturbed forever God’s perfect order for the world, Bishop Emeritus Arthur Serratelli said in two talks he gave during Advent about our duty to be faithful stewards of God’s creation at St. Joseph Church in Mendham.

Msgr. Geno Sylva, rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, wears a dramatic expression on his face as he holds up a wooden starfish during his homily. He points to the object, asking the faithful, especially the young people, to identify it by completing the sentence, “This is …” “A starfish!” shouts Mia Campagna, 14, who has mild learning and developmental challenges due to Williams Syndrome, a rare neurodevelopment genetic disorder. She waves her hands in excitement from her pew during that 5 p.m. vigil Mass on Jan. 2 for the Feast of the Epiphany, which also marks St. John’s third Special Needs Mass that began last October.

The Bishops of New Jersey have designated Friday, Jan. 22 as a day of fasting and prayer to mark the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision, which made abortion legal. To mark the grim anniversary, Bishop Kevin Sweeney is inviting all in the Diocese to join him in prayer during a livestreamed event at 7 p.m. on Jan. 22 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson with a limited number of young people from the city of Paterson joining in person.

After gains were made in the pro-life movement in 2020 to protect life, the outlook for further gains in 2021 is certainly not as promising at both the federal and state levels. With Democrats now holding the White House and both chambers of Congress, a key focus of pro-lifers at the federal level is the preservation of certain pro-life “riders,” or amendments, enacted by Congress that are attached to spending bills.