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Young people who feel unworthy about the vocation to which God might be calling them, might empathize with Jeremiah in the Old Testament. When the Lord first called him to become a prophet of ancient Israel, he responded by telling him, “Not me!” Bishop Serratelli told young people at a vocations-awareness event on Nov. 18 at Morris Catholic High School in Denville.

Ringing in the spirit of Christmas, the annual Diocesan Christmas Concert will be held at 4 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 8 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on the Second Sunday of Advent. Those who attend this annual concert can expect a variety of music with performances by the diocesan choir under the direction of Preston Dibble, diocesan director of music; a children’s choir under the direction of Jessica Mattiace, director of music at the Cathedral, and the principal quintet of the Gramercy Brass Orchestra and organist Kristin Dabaghian. Some of the classics that will be performed at the concert include “The First Nowell,” “Silent Night” and “Away in a Manger.” The beloved Italian Christmas carol, “Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle,” will also be performed.

St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Clifton came together on Nov. 30 to celebrate 80 years as a “tight-knit” faith community that today remains “spiritually alive” with a variety of devotions and an array of ministries that get parishioners of all ages involved in the parish. During an anniversary Mass that day, St. Andrew’s also commemorated its legacy as one of the first parishes founded after the establishment of the Paterson Diocese on Dec. 9, 1937.

From Nov. 6 through Nov. 8, two priests from the Diocese of Paterson joined Catholic Extension on a mission immersion trip to the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands (STVI). Father David Pickens, pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany, and Father Jared Brogan, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, joined with two other priests, Father Anthony Sirianni Jr. of the Diocese of Metuchen and Father Kevin Yarnell of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Fla. on the trip.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit Nov. 17 to St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, where he served as main celebrant and homilist of the 11:30 a.m. Mass, marking the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit Nov. 16 to Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) Parish in Boonton where he served as main celebrant and homilist of the 5:15 p.m. vigil Mass for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

In middle school, I had a friend named Stan. Not only did we go to the same school, we also played on the same little league baseball team for at least two seasons. You can probably count the number of innings I pitched on one or two hands during that time — Stan was my catcher for most, if not all of those innings. We were not the closest of friends but we did see each other a lot. One night, a mutual friend had us both overnight at his house, playing video games into the early hours of the morning. At some point, Stan warned us that whoever went to sleep first would wake up with peanut butter in his nose. At about 4:30 a.m., I awoke with the strangest nasal congestion of my life.

Thanksgiving Day is a day full of traditions — a huge feast, watching the parade or football, pardoning a turkey and spending time with family. For the Beacon, Thanksgiving marks a 36-year-old tradition — the official kick-off of its Christmas Sharing Fund. This annual collection held throughout the Advent and Christmas season gives Beacon readers the opportunity to help clients served by Diocesan Catholic Charities make their holidays brighter often times during a most difficult period in their lives.

Poor orphans served by Medhen Social Center in the city of Addis Ababa in central Ethiopia live a world away — 7,000 miles distance — from the faith community of Good Shepherd Parish in Andover in rural Sussex County. Yet for the past 16 years, parishioners have come together each year to show their love for these children they have never met — but still have come to call “our children” — by walking six miles on local roads to its cemetery to raise money for the center, which gives them needed care and hope for a brighter future.

Sister Irma Dulce Pontes, known as the “good angel for the poor,” is now officially a saint following her canonization by Pope Francis on Oct. 13 in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. She is the first Missionary Sister of the Immaculate Con­cep­tion to be canonized.

On Aug. 23, Bishop Serratelli received a letter from Bishop Julio Cesar Corniel of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, asking if he could donate a tabernacle for their yearlong celebration of the 525th anniversary of the first Mass offered in the New World, ending on Jan. 6, 2020. The bishops and archbishops from the 12 dioceses of the Dominican Republic along with the Papal Nuncio and a delegate sent by Pope Francis will attend the Mass on Jan. 6.

Almost three months after a five-alarm fire destroyed the 410 Straight St. building of Straight and Narrow (S&N) in Paterson, diocesan Catholic Charities has been in awe by the outpouring of support from the local community, the faithful and service organizations, who reached out in the midst of such a devastating loss.

Bishop Serratelli ordained Father Manuel Alejandro Cuellar of Colombia to the priesthood Nov. 15 during the Rite of Ordin­ation in St. Francis of Assisi Church in Haskell — the start of what the new priest considers his priestly ministry “to be there for God and his people.” That evening at the Mass, the Bishop challenged Father Cuellar to carry out his priestly ministry “with constant joy and genuine love, attending not to your own concerns, but to those of Jesus Christ.”

As a 12-year-old boy, Father Andrew Burns learned the critical lesson that “abortion is personal, because life is personal” thanks to the brave witness of the mother of his middle-school friend, Stan. Last Saturday, Father Burns, parochial vicar of St. Joseph Parish in Mendham, talked about Stan in his homily for the annual diocesan Respect Life Mass, celebrated by Bishop Serratelli in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Virgil Parish in Morris Plains where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time on Nov. 9. During the Mass, the Bishop named Father Michal Falgowski as pastor of St. Virgil Parish.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Clement Pope and Martyr Parish in Rockaway Nov. 10 where he celebrated Mass for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. During the Mass, children were present who attended the Children’s Liturgy of the Word. It is held every Sunday during the 10:30 a.m. liturgy for children to better understand Scripture and how to apply the readings to their daily lives.

All eyes are on Father Steven Shadwell as he sits on a stool behind a microphone in the middle of a darkened corner of a tavern on the evening of Nov. 6. A group of 30 Catholic young adults listens to the diocesan priest, who is barely illuminated by two small wall lamps, shine some needed light on a tricky question for many in their age group: “How much can you disagree with the Church before you aren’t really Catholic?”

The story of Mariana Yupanqui Lira’s road to healing is remarkable. Her journey consists of traveling between two countries almost 3,500 miles apart, several international flights and four surgeries. What is especially remarkable is that Mariana, who was born in Peru, is only 7 years old. Despite having to endure these long trips and surgeries, she’s like any typical youngster her age. She enjoys playing, communicating on her tablet and collecting dolls.

They call Sean Quinlan the perfect gentleman. He prefers wearing a button-up shirt and tie than a T-shirt and he always opens doors for ladies. For the past two years, this charming man has been a resident at Kelleher Super­vised Apart­ments here, a group home of the Depart­ment for Persons with Disabilities (DPD), an agency of diocesan Catholic Charities. Quinlan, a 40­­-year-old man with Down syndrome and the youngest of four children, attends Mass every Sun­day and is very faith-filled.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Wayne Oct. 26. During the Mass, he confirmed 11 young people of the parish.