News - August 2023 RSS Feed

Father Michael Rodak joined Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on episode 21 of Beyond The Beacon. Father Rodak is the pastor of St. Jude The Apostle Church in Hardyston and director of pilgrimages for the Diocese of Paterson.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on Aug. 21 presided over Mass at Mallinckrodt Convent in Mendham to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of Christian Charity and the jubilees of 11 of its sisters.

Five Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth each marked 25 years of faithful service in consecrated life on Aug. 26 during a Mass in St. Joseph Chapel in Parsippany. The liturgy was celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney.

The men of La Hermandad de Emaús fellowship of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on Sunday, Aug. 20, welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who presided over Mass to conclude their retreat.

As 2022 was ending, Nancy Hefele, director of Faith Formation for Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Mount Arlington, sought out New Year’s resolutioners. Hefele said regarding a note she had placed in the parish bulletin, “I just put it out there. ‘If you’re thinking about a New Year’s resolution, this is a great idea.’ ”

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated an annual Mass with presidents and principals of Catholic schools in the Paterson Diocese on Aug. 24 for the opening of the 2023–24 school year. The liturgy took place in the oratory of the Diocesan Center in Clifton.

Maritza Neira remembers it like it was yesterday — holding her infant son in the hospital as he was dying. With the tears of a mother’s sorrow, she rocked him gently until he passed away in her arms only two and half days after he was born. That darkest of days for Neira happened 26 years ago. Yet, in the midst of unbearable grief, this parishioner of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson found hope in Christ.

On this past Thursday, Aug. 24, I had the privilege of celebrating Mass with the presidents and principals of our diocesan Catholic schools. The school leaders gathered as they do each year at the invitation of Ms. Mary Baier, our Diocesan Superin­tendent of Schools and head of our Diocesan Office of Catholic Schools.

Two Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth from Indonesia made their final profession of vows during a Mass in Joseph Chapel in Parsippany on Aug. 15, the Feast of Our Lady of Assumption. The two sisters, Sister Felixiana Mura and Sister Veronika Ndeang, professed their vows before Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who celebrated the Mass. Concelebrating were 10 priests from around the Paterson Diocese and around the world. The two sisters both entered the religious order in 2011.

The Social Committee ministry at Resur­rection Parish of Randolph has reconvened meetings that were halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry’s meetings resumed on June 14 with the goal of creating fellowship opportunities for parishioners.

Sister Luciana D’Cruze, a native of Bangladesh, made her final profession of vows as a sister of the Religious Teachers Filippini on Aug. 19 during a Mass in St. Lucy Chapel at their motherhouse in Morristown.

Over the last week, Catholics of the Paterson Diocese and beyond took the opportunity to get closer to the humble, prayerful heart of beloved St. Andre Bessette — both physically and spiritually. A relic of St. Andre, a piece of his heart, traveled to five parishes in the diocese with Father Jomon Kalladanthiyil, an Indian-born priest of the Congregation of the Holy Cross in Montreal.

In a previous article, Fatima and World Youth Day: Let us journey together, united in prayer (July 26, 2023), I mentioned a book that I had read (The Miracle and the Message, by John C. Preiss) and a book that I was reading at that time (Fatima for Today: The Urgent Marian Message of Hope, by Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R.) in preparation for my trip to World Youth Day in Portugal and in preparation for my first visit to the Marian Shrine of Fatima.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Mass on Aug. 13 at the National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Asbury, N.J. Concelebrants of the Mass included Father Luke Mary Fletcher, chaplain of the shrine and a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal. The Mass was celebrated in English with Bishop Sweeney praying and speaking in Spanish on occasion. It was the bishop’s second visit to the shrine.

The more than 1 million young people and adults who attended the recent World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon, Portugal, were boisterous in expressing their faith. They had fun smiling, laughing, and talking as they met fellow Catholics from around the globe. But everything got quiet at the start of adoration during a prayer vigil with Pope Francis near the end of WYD, held Aug. 1–6. The 46 pilgrims of the Paterson Diocese, who attended WYD, experienced the solemnity of the moment.

The mission of the Corpus Christi Chargers ministry of Chatham Township’s Corpus Christi Parish since its 1998 inception is that people with disabilities should never feel left out. The Chargers meet once a month from September through May for social gatherings, creating a sense of community, friendship, and, most importantly, love.

Five years ago, Dan Balogh wouldn’t have darkened the door of a Catholic church — or any house of worship. An avowed atheist, he looked askance at people with religious faith.

Back from World Youth Day — Crystal Guerrero is pictured with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney after the recording of episode 19 of the Beyond The Beacon podcast. Listen to it on your favorite podcast service or watch the video version on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.

I do not remember the first time that I saw or heard about Mother Teresa’s “Business Card.” I think it was sometime in my college years. I do recall that at some point, in my first parish assignment as a priest (1997–2003), I had a box of her business cards printed so that I could hand them out — especially to young people. Although I often think of St. Teresa of Calcutta and ask her intercession in prayer, at some point, her “business card” had slipped from my memory. At a Catechetical Session during World Youth Day (WYD), in the context of a talk on prayer, Bishop Robert Barron reminded me — and shared with thousands of young pilgrims and chaperones, the beautiful lesson that St. Mother Teresa wished to teach as she handed people her “Business Card.”

A new mural brightens up a wall in the parking lot of the Family Success Center, part of Straight and Narrow, Catholic Charities’ substance-abuse recovery program in Paterson. It features fun, eyecatching images, such as a painted llama, tree, and giraffe for the children who are served by the center. The mural also bears a special signature: “CHWC 2023.”