News - March 2022 RSS Feed

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney presided at the annual Acies of the Legion of Mary in Sacred Heart Church in Clifton March 27. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Legion of Mary.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine rages on, a group of 16 priests continues to fight — and win — their own battles against alcoholism and drug addiction amid the stresses of war, thanks to ongoing virtual efforts by Transfiguration House, the only substance-abuse treatment program for priests and religious sisters in the beleaguered Eastern European nation.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to teens at St. Mary, Help of Christians Church in Paterson March 26 during the vigil Mass marking the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

Young people from the parish community of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson received the Sacrament of Confirmation administered by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney Saturday, March 26.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Clifton where he celebrated Mass March 27 for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, which is also known as Laetare Sunday. On Laetare Sunday, vestments worn by clergy are rose colored to signify the coming joy of Easter on April 17. Laetare comes from the Latin, meaning, “To rejoice.” The history of St. Andrew’s began in 1938 when Mass was first celebrated in the renovated almshouse on Mount Prospect Avenue in the Richfield section of Clifton. The property was eventually purchased and a church was built in 1940 and subsequently enlarged in 1963.

Filling the trunk of an SUV with tray after tray containing frozen meals, children from Assumption Parish in Morristown wanted to feed their neighbors in need. As part of a Lenten project to feed the hungry, the children inspired the parish family of Assump­tion to help the Father English Center in Paterson. In addition to the frozen meals, the young people, part of Assumption’s Cate­chesis of the Good Shepherd, also collected household cleaning supplies and baby items for service recipients of the diocesan Catholic Charities agency.

Catholics need to become more comfortable giving testimony about the power of the Eu­charist to transform lives and relationships with God and other people, James C. Pauley, a theology and catechesis professor at Francis­can University in Steuben­ville, Ohio, told a group of 100 catechetical leaders and catechists in the Dio­cese on March 23.

With confidence in the Blessed Mother, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney joined in the global prayer at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson as Pope Francis consecrated Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord in Rome.

All eyes are on the U.S. Supreme Court as the nation awaits its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which involves a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks. Last week, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the chairmen of eight of its committees joined together “in prayer and expectant hope that states will again be able to protect women and children from the injustice of abortion.”

On this past Friday, March 25, I was privileged, along with priests, deacons, seminarians, religious, and lay faithful throughout our Diocese, to join with Pope Francis and the universal Church in the Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and throughout the world. In the midst of all the challenges that we face on the global, national, local, and personal levels, both material and spiritual challenges, we can learn that there are times when “taking a break” from the seriousness of life and our struggles can actually help us to face and deal with challenges.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Joseph Parish in West Milford where he celebrated Mass to mark the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19), the parish’s patron, with parishioners on March 20, the Third Sunday of Lent. The parish also hosted a St. Joseph’s Table after the Mass, which is a tradition often associated with the feast day.

To the delight of the Irish by blood or by heart, the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade returned to Morristown March 19 after a two year hiatus due to the pandemic and a weather delay. The parade stepped off at noon at Morristown Town Hall. The parade route followed down South Street to the Morristown Green and continued along Washington Street to Morristown High School.

El pasado 26 de febrero, la parroquia de San Vicente Mártir organizó un retiro para parejas en las instalaciones de St. Paul Inside the Walls. Este evento contó con la participación de 48 parejas de varias nacionalidades. Los cuatro objetivos principales que se buscaban con este evento fueron: (1) explicar el plan que Dios tiene para el Sacramento del Matrimonio y por qué es importante para una pareja considerar unirse sacramentalmente a través de la Iglesia Católica.

To better serve the pastoral and the spiritual needs of its people, it is important today that pastors, priests, and lay leaders in the Church are equipped with the understanding of how to manage a faith community on an administrative and organizational level. Expected to graduate in the May 2023, three women serving in different ministries of the Diocese are currently enrolled at the Villanova School of Business (VSB) at Villanvoa University, and at the completion of their studies, they will receive a master of science in Church management (MSCM).

Catholics take it on faith that Jesus rose from the dead to secure our salvation but is there evidence that the Resurrec­tion occurred? Christian J. Clark, a Harvard Law School graduate and faithful Catholic, will lay out that evidence to prove it on Wednesday, April 27, when he presents “Evidence of the Resur­rection: A Lawyer’s Analysis” at 7 p.m. in the Evangelization Center at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison. During this in-person event, he will investigate the biblical account of the Resurrection with a lawyer’s critical eye to see if it could stand up in a court of law.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people at St. Mark the Evangelist Church in Long Valley March 19 during the vigil Mass marking the Third Sunday of Lent.

Imagine the scene of horror at the Crucifixion. Three condemned men, including Christ, screaming in agony while hanging from their crosses. Angry bystanders shout taunts at them. Then picture four women with nerves of steel — the Blessed Virgin Mary; Mary of Clopas; Mary, mother of the sons of Zebedee; and Mary Magdalene, risk everything — their lives and the lives of their families — to stand at the foot of the Cross, at Christ’s Crucifixion and at his burial. Later, they experienced the joy of witnessing Christ’s Resurrection.

On March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary amid the ongoing deadly and destructive conflict occurring in Ukraine from the Russian invasion. Pope Francis will make the prayer of consecration March 25 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome at 5 p.m.

According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), more than 120 acts of vandalism at Catholic churches or to Catholic symbols, statues, schools, and shrines have occurred since May 2020. That shocking number is continuing to rise unabated with little or no consequences for those who commit these hate crimes. Inci­dents include graffiti sprayed on church walls, Catholic statues beheaded or smashed, gravestones desecrated with swastikas, and arson.

In the past three weeks, we have seen some very “dark days” for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and we can only imagine what some have suffered and are suffering at the present moment. In the midst of all the darkness and fear, the words of St. John’s Gospel, “the light shines in the darkness” have been very much on my mind, as we have seen the response of our Holy Father and the universal Church, along with nations and people of good will all over the world and the response of our own local Church here in Paterson.