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Bishop Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Virgil Parish in Morris Plains Feb. 20 where he celebrated the vigil Mass marking the First Sunday of Lent.

Bishop Sweeney celebrated Mass in the chapel of St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, the first day of Lent, where he blessed and sprinkled ashes on the heads of employees during the Mass. Afterward, the Bishop visited patients’ rooms to give them ashes and to pray with them.

Prayer and penance are two pillars of Lent and the youth of Passaic gathered on the First Friday of Lent, Feb. 19, to mark the start of the season for a Lenten prayer meeting with Bishop Sweeney in Holy Trinity Church in Passaic.

There were a few firsts at this year’s Rite of Election — marked on the First Sunday of Lent — presided at for the first time by Bishop Kevin Sweeney. This special ceremony takes place to mark the catechumens becoming the elect as they move a step closer to receiving the Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist — at the upcoming Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, April 3. The Diocese welcomed the 75 adults, teens, and children who came to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson where Bishop Sweeney formally selected — or elected — them Feb. 21.

Bishop Sweeney made a pastoral visit to the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Hermitage in Chester Feb. 14. The Carmelite Hermits are a branch of the Carmelite Order of the Ancient Observance. The Carmelite Hermits live an enclosed life inspired by the ancient Carmelite monastic life.

As the season of Lent begins Catholics observe the time through prayer, penance, and sacrifice in preparation for Easter. There is one opportunity during the season that offers all three Lenten pillars at the same time — 40 Days for Life. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, and ending on Palm Sunday, March 28, pro-life advocates in the Diocese will keep vigil outside of Planned Parenthood, 196 Speedwell Ave. in Morristown every day during Lent during the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In a gallon-size Ziploc bag, large enough to fit into a school backpack, various food items are stored to feed a young child for the weekend. For 10 years, these bags have been sent home in the backpacks of kids to alleviate a great need to so many families in the city of Paterson. The bags help Catholic Charities in its mission to make sure every child served at its preschools never goes hungry. Through Diocesan Catholic Charities “backpack food program,” multiple parishes and organizations have purchased the food and put together the food packs.

The Neocatechumenal Way community at St. Agnes Parish in Paterson gathered at St. Michael Parish hall Feb. 13 for its weekly meeting. Bishop Sweeney celebrated the vigil Mass with the community marking the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Bishop Sweeney officially installed Father Laszlo Balogh as pastor of St. Stephen Magyar Parish in Passaic Feb. 14. During his first visit to the parish, the Bishop was main celebrant of the Mass, which marked the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. At the end of the Mass, a blessing of couples was also held to mark the feast day of St. Valentine, patron of love and married couples.

Perhaps St. Joseph envisioned a quieter life for his later years. It’s safe to presume that the saint’s “bucket list” of life goals to accomplish wouldn’t have included the unlikely plans that God dreamt up for him: being married to a young woman, pregnant with a child that’s not his, and helping raise that child, a son, who would grow up to become the Savior of the world.

On Sunday, Feb. 14, St. Valentine’s Day, Bishop Kevin Sweeney presided over the annual combined Boy Scout and Girl Scout Sunday Mass in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. At the 3 p.m. Mass, he presented Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts with various religious awards designed to help inspire and strengthen their Catholic faith.

Bishop Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton Feb. 7 where he celebrated Mass marking the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The parish community of St. Nicholas Church in Passaic welcomed Bishop Sweeney, who celebrated the vigil Mass for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time during his visit Jan. 30.

Beginning on Feb. 15 and culminating on March 19, priests, deacons, religious, and laypersons from around the Dio­cese will be sharing video reflections on the Litany of St. Joseph prayer to mark the Year of St. Joseph. The 33-day video reflections coincide with those making a Con­secration to St. Joseph on his feast day March 19.

As the season of Lent begins on Feb. 17, Ash Wednesday, every church in the Paterson Diocese will open its doors on Monday evenings for Catholics to experience God’s healing love and forgiveness. Starting on Feb. 22 through March 22 from 7 to 8:30 p.m., through the Welcome Home to Healing program, a diocesan-wide initiative that takes place every Lent, priests will hear the confessions of anyone who seeks the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Father Jhon Madrid, chaplain at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, remained calm and confident while facing the anxiety of having to ace one of the most important tests of his life — the test for citizenship at the U.S. Citizenship and Im­migration Services office in Newark on Jan. 26.

So how did Bishop Sweeney become the eighth Bishop of Paterson? Last week, students and staff at Assumption School here got the story right from the Bishop — because of “the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis and the George Washington Bridge.” On Thursday–Friday, Feb. 4–5, Bishop Sweeney stopped at All Saints Academy in Parsippany and Assumption during Catholic Schools Week, celebrated nationally Jan. 31–Feb. 6, visiting each classroom.

Last year on the Feast of the Annunciation, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) encouraged the faithful to join a nationwide effort to “walk in the shoes” of pregnant women and those mothers with small children. Walking with Moms in Need program, under the USCCB’s Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities Office, was created to assist young mothers in difficult circumstances.

Msgr. Mark Giordani, a retired priest of the Diocese, who was rector of St. John’s Cathedral for 31 years, a longtime chaplain of many law enforcement agencies, and a biker who founded the Christian Riders Motorcycle Club, died Jan. 30. He was 78. Msgr. Giordani, ordained a priest in 1969, faithfully served in priestly ministry for 51 years.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney installed Father Mateusz Jasniewicz as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Wayne during his pastoral visit Jan. 31 where he was the main celebrant of Mass marking the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Polish-born Father Jasniewicz was ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 2015.