May 18, 2023

Helping Hand

Brothers in diaconate: Jesus will work miracles through you, too

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This edition of “The Catholic Spirit” highlights our permanent deacons celebrating anniversaries of their ordination. For my column, I thought I would share my homily from our ordination of transitional deacons, which was held at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen, May 13. We certainly are blessed by the service of our deacons who are configured to Christ the Servant and serve our parishes and institutions in so many ways. I ask you to join me in petitioning our loving Lord to bless our new transitional deacons and all our permanent deacons, as well as those now in formation for ordination. It is always a joy to serve with them at the altar on my parish visits. It is only one aspect of the many ways they serve, but one I am happy to share with them. A bishop and priest is still a deacon and called to make Christ the Servant present, so may we all make Christ the Servant present through our ministries! May God bless you all, and may Mary our Mother, during this her special month, give us her maternal protection. Know of my love, prayers and gratitude for you all!

God bless,

As we listened to today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard about the Church gathered for the first time — indeed we heard about the Church gathered before there even was a Church because the Holy Spirit had not yet descended upon the apostles. Pentecost was still a week away. Nevertheless, the Church, about to be born, was gathered there in prayer — all the apostles and the women and Jesus’ relatives. There they were in the upper room, the place where the Last Supper — the first Eucharist — had been celebrated and the place where the Holy Spirit would envelop them all 10 days hence.

There is the Church about to be born, gathered just as we are gathered here today. There, we are told, they devoted themselves to constant prayer as we are doing today. Mary, the mother of Jesus, the one on whom the Holy Spirit had already descended as the Spirit overshadowed her at the Annunciation and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. So, on this day we too await the Holy Spirit, as a Church at Pentecost to renew us, but also today, to renew our local Church as we call upon the Holy Spirit to descend upon you our four brothers as you enter the Order of Deacons.

It’s also a day that we remember Our Mother Mary, the memorial of Our Lady of Fatima, during this month of Mary, and so obviously the Blessed Mother is in our midst, too, today because Mary lives at the heart of the Church gathered. What we do today here is certainly at the heart of the Church.

St. Maximilian Kolbe once said, “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” So, turn to her often brothers, to assist you in being faithful to your promises of celibacy, prayer and obedience. How we need her help, and how she stands ready to assist us, always. I cannot remember a time in my life not loving the Holy Mother of God. Growing up a love for her was passed on to me in my home from my parents as well as in my parish and also at school, particularly by the Mercy Sisters who taught there.

What joy she brings when we see a statue, an icon or painting of the Blessed Mother. I always enjoy seeing statues of her outside of homes as I pray my morning rosary walking around the streets of our Cathedral parish here in Metuchen. The Holy Rosary is a chain of powerful love that calls us to meditate over and over the mysteries that make up our holy faith. Brothers, use this special prayer of the rosary each day to grow in your love of her and her Son, and pray for the needs of our local Church.

configured to Christ the Servant, can and will be made for good if we ask her to help us. And, if you want to grow more deeply in your love for the Lord Jesus, go often to Our Mother who, only second to Our Heavenly Father, knows her Son best. Yes, let us increase in love for the glorious patroness of our diocese, to whom we have consecrated ourselves under her title of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Interestingly, when we think of Jesus’ first public miracle or sign as St. John calls them, it was at Cana and it was Mary who prompted Him. So, she will prompt you to do miracles in our good peoples’ lives, too, if you do whatever He tells you.

Mary has a special place in all our lives, but she will forever have a special place in your lives brothers, as your ordination has so many Marian attributes. Mary, whom the Angel greets as the most highly favored one and who ponders all of the wonders of her infant in her heart; Mary, who is present at Cana and who is standing at the foot of the cross and is given as Mother to the beloved disciple and us.

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St. Mother Teresa always had a rosary in her hand and St. John Paul II declared the rosary as his favorite prayer. His secretary once said that if John Paul II was to stay on schedule at an event, do not let him pass a statue of Our Lady for he will stop and pray. The prayer might go on and no one could budge him! Pope Francis said to the people of Poland about Our Lady of Jasna Gora: “She is a true mother, with a marked face, a mother who suffers because she truly carries in her heart the problems in our lives…She is a close mother, who never loses us from her sight; she is a tender mother, who holds our hand on the path of daily life.”

Yes, we know that suffering can bear fruit and Our Mother Mary teaches this to us in a profound way. Brothers, any suffering you encounter in your life, now

In our second reading from the Acts of the Apostles today, we heard that the deacons were to serve at table. So, it was at Cana that Mary instructed the servers to do whatever He tells you. They alone knew how the miracle took place and were the ones who prepared the way for Jesus to act, filling the jars with water. The servers must have thought to themselves, how crazy, we’re out of wine and He wants us to fill the jars with water, but they did it. Brothers, Jesus will work miracles through you too, if you listen to Him and do whatever He tells you. Even when you might not understand why He or His beloved Bride, the Church, ask you to do something you don’t understand or perhaps would rather not do. So, be open and be surprised by God’s goodness and love!

Brothers, our Church of Metuchen needs you, and we thank God for you today, even as we ask Him to bless you abundantly this day and every day of your lives. May your diaconal service, your doing whatever He tells you, bear much good fruit for His Kingdom and our good people who have been praying for you perhaps even before you knew they were! God bless you and thank you for your “Yes” to God today. Keep saying Yes!

Bishop’s Appointments

Bishop James F. Checchio has announced the following appointments.

Father James DeFillipps, has been appointed pastor of St. Magdalen de Pazzi Parish, Flemington, effective April 4

Father Keith M. Cervine, has been appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, Annandale, and interim President of St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Edison, both effective April 4.

Bishop

PUBLISHER Adam J. Carlisle EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR Chris Donahue Father Glenn J. Comandini, STD (732) 529-7935 (732) 562-2461

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Correction

In the April 27 issue of “The Catholic Spirit” the caption under the photo on page 7 incorrectly stated the women pictured were the cofounders of the Inspire Family Life Center. Pictured at right at the center’s Blessing are the cofounders (left to right): Rosanda Grau, Bunny Brinck and Carol Spina. The photo credit was also incorrect. It should have been given to Gerald Wutkowski Jr.

ordained to the transitional diaconate

METUCHEN — “It’s a glorious day for our Church and especially for our diocese,” said Bishop James F. Checchio as he welcomed all to a Mass in which four seminarians would be ordained transitional deacons and become part of the diocese’s clergy.

Gathered on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima in the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, May 13, clergy, religious and lay people from many nations filled the pews. Greetings were livestreamed in English, Vietnamese and Polish so the relatives and friends of the seminarians about to become transitional deacons might prayerfully take part in their loved one’s milestone of faith.

In his homily, Bishop Checchio, who presided at the liturgy, advised the new deacons that Mary lives at the heart of the Church and will forever have a special place in their lives.

“Turn to her often as you strive to serve,” he continued. “The holy rosary is a chain of powerful love that calls us to meditate over and over on the mysteries that make up our holy faith. Use this special prayer each day to grow in the love of her and our Church.”

Suffering can bear fruit, the bishop continued, and Mother Mary teaches this lesson in a profound way. She prompted Jesus, her son, to perform his first miracle: the changing of the water to wine at the wedding feast in Cana when she told the waiters to do anything he asked of them. “She will prompt you to do miracles in our people’s lives,” Bishop Checchio said.

“Brothers, our Church of Metuchen needs you and we thank God for you today,” he concluded. “May your diaconal service, your doing whatever he tells you, bear much good fruit, even miracles, for his kingdom and for our good people in this Diocese of Metuchen. Thank you for your ‘yes.’”

The rite of ordination began with Bishop Checchio beckoning forward the prospective deacons: Ban Thien (Joseph) Ho, Larrydom Jr. K. Magdasoc, Dawid Jan Malik and Ai Van (Peter) Phan. Msgr. John N. Fell, director, diocesan Office for Priest Personnel, and director of Seminarians, affirmed to the bishop that the men were prepared for their new ministry and worthy of the responsibility they would be undertaking.

The bishop said, “Relying on the help of the Lord God and our savior, Jesus Christ, we choose these men, our

brothers, to the order of the diaconate. Thanks be to God,” he said over the congregation’s prolonged applause.

Then, one by one, the prospective deacons knelt at the feet of the bishop, who asked for a promise to live a life of service, celibacy and obedience to him and his successors. At each young man’s “yes,” the bishop responded, “May God, who has begun good work in you, bring it to fulfillment.”

As the choir and congregation invoked the aid of all those holy men and women who had risen to heavenly ranks in the chanting of the “Litany of the Saints,” the future deacons lay prostrate before the altar, symbolizing their obedience and total reliance on God.

The gift of the Holy Spirit was conferred on the men as the bishop laid his hands upon their heads, praying, “Send forth upon him the Holy Spirit so he will be strengthened by the gift of your sevenfold grace for the faithful carrying out the work and ministry.”

The new deacons were vested with a stole and dalmatic, the outward manifestations of their new ministry, and presented with the Book of the Gospels. Bishop Checchio solemnly instructed each in turn to “believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach.”

At the conclusion of the rite, the bish-

op extended a sign of peace, while priests and deacons embraced the men who had just been added to their brotherhood.

The new transitional deacons come from diverse backgrounds:

— Deacon Ho, 34, a native of Vietnam, graduated from that country’s National Science and Saigon universities with a bachelor’s degree in information technology. He worked as an event planner before pursuing his liturgical studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University, South Orange. Deacon Ho’s interests include photography and sports.

— Deacon Magdasoc, 31, a native of the Philippines, is a graduate of that nation’s De La Sale University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in information technology and worked as a web developer prior to entering the St. Francis de Sales Major Seminary, Lipa City, then Immaculate Conception Seminary.

— Deacon Malik, 37, a native of Poland, earned a master’s degree in theology at the Pontifical University of John Paul II, Krakow. He worked as a storekeeper and cook before entering Immaculate Conception Seminary. Deacon Malik is interested in literature, martial arts, music, and hiking.

— Deacon Phan, 28, also a native of Vietnam, attended that country’s Phu Xuan University, where he earned a degree in the Vietnamese and English languages. Deacon Phan earned a degree in philosophy at St. Vincent Seminary before his studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary.

As deacons, they will be called to assist the bishop and his priests to distribute holy Communion, be ordinary ministers of baptisms, preside over marriages and funerals, proclaim the Gospel and preach as they complete their final year of seminary study for the priesthood.

Jesus’ Ascension, moms, this is for kids!

Boys and girls, the Ascension is a very special day — especially for all of us who lost a loved one — be this person a grandparent, a parent, a brother or sister or just a good friend. Today is the day that Jesus left the earth, physically, and returned to the Father. Upon his arrival, he unlocked the gates of Heaven — thereby opening paradise to all the dead who, up until this point in time, were like good students locked in their classrooms, day and night, seven days a week — unable to go back home to the families, unable to go to God and enjoy what they could see, imagine, smell and anticipate through their windows: heaven. In this comparison, the classrooms would symbolize the “abode of the dead,” outside would be a symbol of Heaven, which was closed to the public. Mind you, those inside were not in detention for bad behavior, they were good people but separated from the presence of God who alone could give them perpetual joy. Well, it would take Jesus’ ascension to the Father to unlock the gates of Heaven, to

unlock the classrooms and liberate the dead to go to their Father and the land of the blessed in happiness forever.

Before Jesus left his disciples and his Mother, at the Mount of the Ascension in Jerusalem, he probably gave his friends a big hug and thanked them for following him. Then, he came to his mom and kissed her on the cheek and said to her: “I love you, Ma. Thank you for everything you did for me.” And she remained with John, the Beloved Disciple to whom Jesus entrusted his sweet mother.

Well, boys and girls, last Sunday was Mother’s Day. “Can we ever sufficiently thank our moms for all they do for us?” Since the answer is “no,” let’s do what Jesus did before his ascension — when he thanked his mom. Let’s thank ours: for putting up with the beds we leave unmade and the dishes we leave in the sink, for tolerating our mood swings, and for allowing us to sulk, to have tantrums, to project our frustrations onto you when we don’t like what we are asked to do.

Let us thank mom for trying to make us feel handsome or pretty when we get our braces put on, or get fit for our first pair of glasses.

Let us thank mom for loving us, even when we fail a quiz, get a B instead of an A, or don’t make the Honor Roll.

Let us thank mom for making us laugh when we feel embarrassed, for making us feel like a winner, even when my team lost, for driving us to soccer, football, hockey, swimming, dance class, gymnastics, riding lessons, scouts or to the mall when we want to buy something.

Let us thank mom for waiting in the car line for us so patiently every day of the week, for forgiving us, when we do something wrong, when we don’t do our chores, go on the computer when we are not supposed to, to not go to sleep when we go to bed, tease our brothers or sisters, or act like we don’t know you just to look independent and cool in front of our friends.

The ascension is a day to cele -

brate. It’s the grand opening of heaven — and tied to this is the guarantee that our moms will be rewarded for their goodness — for just as Jesus returned to the Father, so we believe the Blessed Mother was one day reunited with Jesus and is with him even as I speak. There must be a special place in Heaven for our moms — and we have to admit, boys and girls, that they deserve the joy which comes from this special place, but even they would say “heaven” would be incomplete for them, unless we were standing next to them.

Thank you, Jesus, for your glorious ascension and for giving us our moms, a foretaste of heaven in raising us, their children!

Father Comandini is managing editor of “The Catholic Spirit.”

Stop the presses: Sister Gabriela, cloistered nun, joins staff of ‘Spirit’

plative life in one sentence to a Lutheran?”

The answer came quickly: by quoting Scripture, so I replied, “You know that Jesus said, ‘remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” (Mt 28-20)

Pope Francis often describes God as “the God of Surprises,” that is, a God who unsettles and amazes us with sudden, unexpected events that discombobulate our lives. Francis may well have had his own election in mind when he uses this phrase. Certainly, for most of the Church and the world, his election was indeed one of God’s surprises.

Another of God’s surprises is this article that you are reading. I don’t know if there are other cloistered nuns who write a regular newspaper column; they may exist, but I don’t know of any. For myself, though I have been writing regular articles for a Catholic news site for well over a year, it never occurred to me to write on a regular basis. I am quite surprised at being here and will need some time to get used to it.

As a cloistered nun, I have received some criticism for writing my articles. One person commented, “St. Teresa of Avila didn’t write articles in newspapers!” Quite true: newspapers didn’t exist in Teresa’s time. If they had, I am sure she would have enjoyed writing Letters to the Editor. She certainly wrote to everyone else, from the King on down!

Another criticism says, “What can a cloistered nun have to share with us?

They have a vow of silence, and they spend the whole day praying on their knees!” Actually, we do not have a vow of silence, (I will write about that another time.), and, yes, we do try to spend the whole day praying, not only when we are on our knees but also when we are sitting, standing, cooking, housecleaning, recreating with one another, assisting at Mass, answering the mail, gardening, reciting the Liturgy of the Hours together, doing spiritual reading, taking care of the animals and even – hopefully – while sleeping. After all, the Bride in the Song of Songs said, “I slept, but my heart was awake.” (Song 5,2) Our life is made up of about eight hours of prayer, eight hours of work and eight hours of sleep, and we try to pray in everything we do.

This is not a matter of reciting prayers all the time. We don’t say a lot of vocal prayers. We recite the full Liturgy of the Hours together, meeting in choir seven times a day, and we say the Litany of Our Lady and the Litany to St. Joseph, as well as the rosary, but otherwise we

only have a few other prayers that we say on special occasions. For us, prayer goes much deeper than reciting prayers. After all, the words “prayer” and “pray-er” are really the same. More than reciting prayers, we try to be prayer.

Some years ago, I was at the hospital for blood work. The technician, a young woman, settled me in the chair and gathered her needles and vials. As she did so, she said, “I want to ask you about your life. I am a Lutheran.”

I thought, “How do I explain contem-

She nodded, and I went on, “So since he is with us always, we try to arrange our lives so that we can always be with him.”

That really sums up our life, and I do think that it is worth sharing. After all, isn’t being with him what we all hope to do forever in heaven? We contemplatives are just practicing ahead to time so we will be used to doing it, and we also want to show other people in the Church that it can be done. We can be with him even in the midst of sweeping, washing dishes, taking care of our sick and elderly Sisters, doing the bookkeeping and all the other tasks that make up everyday life.

Sister Gabriela of the Incarnation is a member of the Discalced Carmelites order in Flemington www.flemingtoncarmel.org.

How to report abuse

If you were sexually abused by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church, or you know of someone who was, you are encouraged to report that abuse to local law enforcement, the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency at 1-877-NJ ABUSE (652-2873) or 1-800-835-5510 (TTY/TDD for the deaf), and also the Diocesan Response Officer at (908) 930-4558 (24 hours/7 days a week).

“For us, prayer goes much deeper than reciting prayers. After all, the words “prayer” and “pray-er” are really the same. More than reciting prayers, we try to be prayer.”

WORLD & NATION

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Jockey David Cabrera has had a special devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe since he was a child. It’s something he’s continued to carry with him — literally. Cabrera, who races at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, is one of many jockeys who wear Catholic sacramentals when competing in races. He has a scapular with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. “It’s from Mexico,” said Cabrera, 30. “I wear it all the time. I never take it off.” Other jockeys have a Miraculous Medal attached to the back of the helmets they wear each time they get on a racehorse. It’s an old-school tradition. The profession is fulfilling but also dangerous. The rules of the sport require an ambulance to follow jockeys around the track every time a race is conducted. It’s a way of life that leads many to call on their faith for protection. A chaplain “prays for everyone for safety, for everyone who works with the horses,” said jockey Francisco Arrieta, a 34-year-old native of Venezuela. He said that every time he gets on a horse in “the post parade” — when the horses and their riders walk from the paddock past the stands to the starting gate – “I say, ‘God, please

take care of my horse and take care of me, in Jesus’ name.’ I’ve been doing that a long time. I put my trust in God.”

Jockey David Cabrera, in white sweatshirt, helps carry a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe in a December 2022 procession from St. Mary of the Springs Church to St. John the Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Ark.

OSV News photo/courtesy David Cabrera

Compiled from Our Sunday Visitor

TERNOPIL, Ukraine — The Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known colloquially as the “Dominican Church,” is the best-known landmark in Ternopil in western Ukraine. Before World War II, it was a Dominican Catholic Church, closed by the communists in 1945 and handed over to Ukrainian Catholics in 1989. For many Ukrainians pouring westward to flee conflict, the baroque 18th-century church with its distinct twin bell towers, standing tall above the old city’s red rooftops, proved a natural beacon for those propelled far from home. “In the beginning [of the war], in February 2022, our cathedral, which is in the center of town, became the main humanitarian hub,” said Father Martin Chomiw, a Ukrainian Catholic priest at the Ternopil Cathedral. “We began to realize we needed to organize other types of help,

for all the invisible wounds people have,” said Father Chomiw. “The wounds aren’t from missiles, but they are there, inside, unseen.” Father Chomiw’s wife, Maria [Ukrainian Catholic priests can marry], is a trained psychotherapist. She initiated one of the most important components of the project to help children deal with severe trauma, negative feelings and psychological stress. The project is providing a “Hibuki dog,” or “Huggy dog” in Hebrew, which was developed by Israeli psychologists to assist children who were displaced or living in situations with the constant threat of conflict. It is “not a toy — it is therapy,” Father Chomiw explained. For example, when there is an air raid siren and everyone has to go to a basement or a bunker for safety, which occurs two or three times per week, the children are encouraged to comfort their Hibuki dogs, transferring their anxiety to them.

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica — Reel in the masses of migrants Scalabrinian Sister María Angélica Tiralle has seen pass through Costa Rica over the past 10 years, she has seen the “people of Israel,” she said. “It is the same people of Israel looking for the promised land,” Sister Tiralle said about the thousands of migrants she and other women religious in Costa Rica have helped, as they pass through or stay in the country. Long thought of as one of the most stable nations in Central America, Costa Rica has opened its doors and hearts to people seeking relief during historic periods of instability in other nations, something that is reflected in the diversity of people from neighboring — and not-so-neighboring — countries who

Latin America mingle. While some stay, others go. Sister Tiralle began to interview migrants on the streets to see what they needed and communicated it to the other congregations, who looked for ways to help, said Sister Verónica Cortez Méndez, a Carmelite Missionary. “We decided to join forces,” explained Sister Tiralle, referring to the religious congregations that offered to help, including the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, the Missionary Sisters of Charity, and several Carmelite and Franciscan communities, among others.

Scalabrinian Sister María Angélica Tiralle helps a migrant couple fill out documents at the Church of Our Lady of Mercy in San José, Costa Rica, April 23. The charism of the religious order to which the sister belongs is focused in

welcomed the ecumenical and interfaith elements in the May 6 coronation of King Charles III and his consort, Queen Camilla, as well as a pledge by the new monarch “not to be served but to serve.”

“The years following the Reformation were a desperately challenging time for Catholics, with priests, religious and laity persecuted and killed for their faith — it is testament to an incredible journey of reconciliation that six Catholic bishops were present at the coronation, including Vatican representatives,” said Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark. The archbishop was preaching at a May 7 thanksgiving Mass at St. George’s Cathedral in Southwark following the coronation, which was attended by 2,300 in London’s historic Westminster Abbey, including heads of state and government, and watched live by tens of millions worldwide. West-

minster Abbey, he said, the coronation, with its historic elements of recognition, oath-taking, anointing, investiture, crowning, enthronement and homage, had been the 39th in the Gothic building since that of William the Conqueror in 1066. The procession into the abbey included a new Cross of Wales, incorporating fragments of the Cross of Christ donated by Pope Francis, and a book of Latin Gospels used in a sixth-century conversion mission to England, and was joined by various Christian denominations, as well as Bahai, Jain, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Muslim and Jewish leaders. In his coronation homily, Archbishop Welby said Jesus Christ had created “the unchangeable law of good authority — that with the privilege of power comes the duty to serve,” adding that the new king had been given, through anointment,

Medals, scapulars often part of jockeys’ uniforms to keep them, horses safe during races

From food distribution to trauma therapy, priest is on wound-healing mission for displaced

Religious sisters in Costa Rica offer respite for thousands of migrants along lengthy journey

Catholic bishops invited to coronation described as testament to ‘incredible journey of reconciliation’

Diocese’s Black Catholics prepare for national congress in July

SOMERSET — On April 22, the diocesan Office of Multicultural Ministries invited Black Catholics from the diocese to attend a Day of Reflection at St. Matthias Parish. The event was held in preparation for the National Black Catholic Congress XIII, which is scheduled to be held July 20-23, 2023, in Gaylord National Harbor, Maryland.

The National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC), whose stated mission is to “foster freedom and growth of Black Catholics as members of the Catholic Church and society,” convenes a national meeting every five years to renew and develop this mission with a Pastoral Plan.

The NBCC’s objectives include:

• Enriching the Church by evangelizing African Americans within and outside the Church,

• Enhancing the physical and spiritual well-being of African Americans as full members of the Church and society.

• Creating an ongoing agenda for evangelizing African Americans.

• Collaborating with national Roman Catholic organizations.

The theme for the diocesan Day of Reflection was “Write the Vision: A Prophetic Call to Thrive.” The morning began with music, prayer and praise and opening statements of purpose and direc-

tion. Attendees then moved to specific questions and topics they recveived for personal reflection and small group discussion. Finally, all input was shared and discussed with the large group and then collected.

The information gathered will be reviewed for trends and developed into a report representing the collective movement of the Holy Spirit in the Diocese of Metuchen. The output will be delivered by diocesan delegates as input to the Na-

tional Congress in July.

It was extremely gratifying to see Father Abraham Orapankal, pastor of St. Matthias Parish, and Msgr. Seamus F. Brennan, senior priest, stay for the entire session, participating in the activities and engaging in the conversations. Additionally, several non-black participants provided extremely valuable input and perspectives. At times with great emotion, most every relevant topic affecting Black Americans, Black Africans,

Black Catholics and people of color was touched upon and suggestions were made as to how we can do our part to extend the love of Christ into these communities across the diocese.

In August, as a follow-up to the National Congress, our local team will meet with Sister Miriam Perez, coordinator, diocesan Office of Multicultural Ministries, to review the takeaways from the national gathering and begin to develop a diocesan pastoral plan.

As a Black Catholic deacon, when invited to take a leadership role in this effort for our diocese, I was both honored and challenged, as continued racial tensions and overall division in our nation continue to confront us all. There are a lot of details here, but the simple fact as I see it is this: Blacks need to know that the Catholic Church is their Church. I ask all who see and hear to join in prayer and action to make this known. Pierre Toussaint, Mother Mary Lange, Henriette DeLille, Augustus Tolton, Julie Greeley, and Sister Thea Bowman, pray for us! Don’t know who they are? Find out more by visiting: https://nbccongress.org/ noteworthy-black-catholics/ Deacon Rick Fortune exercies his ministry at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen, and has recently been appointed as a co-coordinator of the Black Catholic Apostolate for the diocese

The Parish Community of St. Cecilia

wishes to congratulate Father Charles T. O’Connor on the 40th Anniversary of his Priestly Ordination.

WethankGodforyoueachandeveryday. MayGodcontinuetobless&guideyou.

Pope asks Papal Foundation to work for church unity

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — By calling itself the “Papal Foundation” and supporting projects identified by the Vatican, members of the U.S.-based group have an obligation to promote the unity of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis said.

“Unfortunately, we see even in our day how the unity of the Church is wounded by division,” Pope Francis told a delegation of about 150 people from the foundation April 21.

“The devil is a specialist in fighting against unity,” the pope said. “He is a specialist!”

Division in the Church, he said, often is “caused by the influence of ideologies and movements that, while sometimes having good intentions, end up fomenting ‘parties’ and cliques, with each one developing a certain superiority complex when it comes

to insight into the practice of the faith.”

The tensions, the pope said, are “further aggravated by the application of secular terminology, especially from the political realm, when speaking of the church and the faith itself.”

Jesus called St. Peter to serve as “the visible sign of unity of the church,” and that responsibility was passed on to his successors, the popes, he said. Encouraging and defending unity is a responsibility “shared in varying degrees by all those who directly or indirectly assist the pope in fulfilling his mission,” including members of the Papal Foundation.

The Papal Foundation was established in 1988 to respond to the pope’s philanthropic priorities in developing nations around the world; since its foundation, members have allocated more than $200 million to projects, including building churches, hospitals and schools and providing scholarships for lay and

In April, while in Rome for a meeting of the U.S.-based Papal Foundation, Bishop James F. Checchio spoke several times with Pope Francis. About 150 people from the foundation attended the meeting, including Lisa and Kevin Clayton and their family of St. James Parish, Basking Ridge; and John and Millie Rasweillier of St. Mary’s-Stony Hill Parish, Watchung. The Papal Foundation is the only charitable organization in the United States that is exclusively dedicated to fulfilling the requests of the Holy Father for the needs of the Church. Vatican Media photos

religious leaders to study in Rome.

“Motivated by sincere faith and a heartfelt desire to help others,” Pope Francis said, members of the Papal Foundation “rise above these partisan divisions and foster unity through the generous funding each year of numerous projects and scholarships that provide vital assistance, without prejudice or discrimination, to our brothers and sisters throughout the world.”

Pope Francis also thanked the group for its commitment to ensuring accurate record keeping and transparency so that their funds truly benefit people in need.

“As you are aware,” he told them, “the Holy See has been making strides” in ensuring its own financial dealings are marked by accountability and transparency.

“This is especially important in its service of charity, which relies on the good will and generosity of so many people around the world,” the pope said. “While not comparable to the immense harm resulting from the failure to protect the most vulnerable from various forms of abuse, financial scandals caused by a lack of oversight and transparency also damage the good name of the church and can call into question the credibility of the faith itself.”

Youth from parish fast to provide financial support for needy

Students from the religious education program and Youth Group at Mary Mother of God Parish, Hillsborough, helped raised $18,000 for two charitable initiatives through a 30-hour fast they conducted in the winter.

On March 27, a donation of $9,000 was made to Estela Cristeles, a member of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, Guatemala, and program director of the “Food for School” scholarship program, said Msgr. Joseph M. Curry, pastor.

Mary, Mother of God, along with other parishes in the diocese, recently hosted presentations by Cristeles about the diocese’s partnership with the Diocese of Santa Rosa as part of its Global Solidarity Partnership, which is coordinated by the Catholic Charities Solidarity Team.

“Food for Schools” was established in 2008 by high school students from the Diocese of Metuchen. The first group in 2008 included 11 students. As of 2020, the program directly helps 118 students

and their families in seven villages.

“Food for School” provides school supplies, books, medicine and other basic necessities, as well as promotes service to the community and the active participation of parents supporting their children’s education.

The program helps students to attend school and to earn degrees and learn trades to support them and their families.

The other $9,000 was donated to Catholic Relief Services to support a program that addresses food insecurity in Somalia, Msgr. Curry said.

Catholic Charities Solidarity Team is an international and social justice program of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Metuchen, applying programs and initiatives from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,

The dioceses of Metuchen and Santa Rosa established a partnership 20 years ago.

For more information about these and other programs our diocese participates in please see the website www.ccsolidarity.org.

Speakers show how Church teaching can strengthen families

PISCATAWAY — Spiritual music and powerful speakers greeted a packed gymnasium at the seventh annual Divine Mercy Family Healing Retreat hosted by Our Lady of Fatima Parish April 22. It was the first time the retreat has been held since 2019 because of COVID-19.

Marian Father Mariusz Jarzabek, a priest from Poland who is assigned to the National Shrine, Stockbridge, Mass., spoke of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nurse in the 1930s who was canonized by then Pope, now St. John Paul II in 2000 for promoting the mercy of God after receiving revelations from Jesus.

Pope John Paul II named the second Sunday after Easter as Divine Worship Sunday on the Catholic Church calendar.

In his presentation, Father Jarzabek said Jesus doesn’t want to punish anyone for their sins, but wants Catholics to confess them in order to receive his mercy. The sacrament of reconciliation was available during the retreat.

Father Jarzabek said many people are lost in today’s society as they have “no faith, no church, no God.”

“Confession is very important in the life of the Church, but at the same time it is very [much] neglected. Sometimes Catholics have not gone to confession for a very long time.”

He reminded the congregation that all serious sins must be confessed in order for a person to be absolved from them. A general confession may be made if you are not sure of some of your sins.

“Some people receive Holy Communion when they should not receive,” he said. “It is important to know when not to receive Holy Communion.”

Father Jarzabek said every time that a Catholic with a serious sin receives Communion before going to confession, they “commit another mortal sin” because it is a sacrilege.

Brother Toby Manimalethu, a physical therapist and evangelist from Detroit, spoke about the importance of the family.

He said Saint John Paul II became “a Mercy Pope” when he met with Russia President Mikhail Gorbachev.

“Mr. Gorbachev came out [from the meeting] and said, ‘I saw God.’”

After the experience, Brother Toby noted, Gorbachev got baptized after he returned to Russia, which led to the polit-

ical and economic reforms of “Glasnost” and “Perestroika” (1985-1991).

The result, Brother Toby said, was bringing the “government wall down and John Paul to go back, reclaiming Poland [his homeland] for God.”

Brother Manimalethu said he came from a “dysfunctional family” because his father was never home. He was raised by his grandfather. His great-grandmother, who was a widow in her early 20s and had to raise two sons, made sure he went to Church.

“God was their only hope. Church was their shelter. The shelter was her everything,” he said.

In discussing marriage, he said a person should ask themselves, “What do I have that another person [spouse] will benefit?” and not “how I can benefit out of my spouse?”

He said the only thing that matters is, “How much Christ like you are to others.”

“Church is not an institution. Church is a mystical body of my Lord Jesus...It’s one. One flesh only,” Brother Toby said.

Vincentian Father John Kattattu, a native of India who spent eight years at an African mission, also gave a presen-

tation. Father Kattattu also serves as the assistant director of the Divine Mercy Healing Center, Washington, N.J. Catholic worship leader Jomon Joseph, a lay missionary and Catholic worship leader from Toronto who is also a certified keyboard and piano teacher, performed during the retreat.

The event concluded with a Mass.

Below, top right, Father Mariusz Jarzabek, a Polish priest from the congregation of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, gives a speech at he Divine Mercy Healing Retreat at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Piscataway, April 22. He spoke about St. Maria Faustina Kowalski, who was canonized by then-Pope, now St. John Paul II, in 2000, for promoting the mercy of God. Bottom left, Father John Kattattu, a Vincentian priest from India who is assistant director at the Divine Mercy Healing Center, Washington, N.J., gives a presentation. Bottom right, Jomon Joseph, a Catholic worship leader from Toronto, speaks to attendees between performances.

“The mission of the Divine Mercy Healing Retreat, is to reach out for evangelization. This can be an opportunity to hear the word of God in a dynamic way, opening a person’s heart to receive our Lord’s Love and forgiveness. In addition to physical , spiritual, and inner Eucharistic healing, the retreat leads each person to develop a personal relationship with the Lord and a desire to share the good news of the gospel with others.”.

Max Gutierrez, Coordinator, Workers in the Vineyard Ministry

‘Jesus, I Trust in You’

Faithful attend Mass, venerate relic on Divine Mercy Sunday

OLD BRIDGE — The unshakable faith of a young Polish nun whose encounter with Christ prompted adoration and acts of mercy was celebrated April 16 at St. Ambrose Church.

Attendees from throughout the diocese gathered to proclaim “Jesus, I trust in you” as they prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet, received the sacrament of reconcilation and worshiped at a Mass cedlebrated by Father Anthony J. Mastroeni, a professor at Seton Hall University, South Orange. He also gave the homily.

In his homily, Father Mastroeni asserted, “The best-kept secret in the Church today is the vision of hell. If you stop believing in hell, you will soon cease believing in heaven; if you stop believing in heaven, the Divine Mercy will simply be an empty sentiment.”

Father Mastroeni, who was ordained for the Diocese of Paterson in 1972, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in classical languages and philosophy, and a Master’s Degree in counseling psychology at Seton Hall. He has been teaching university students, hosting retreats and theological seminars, and participating in ongoing faith formation for years in the United States and Europe. He currently serves as an adjunct professor of medical ethics and theology at Felician University, Lodi, and moral theology at the Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall.

The priest reflected upon the day’s Gospel (John 20:19-31), which told of Jesus’ visit to his disciples in the Upper Room. Upon breathing the Holy Spirit upon them, the Risen Lord assured them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and

whose sins you retain are retained.”

“This was the institution of the sacrament of penance,” Father Mastroeni continued. “That’s Mercy Sunday. This is the Divine Mercy charge: to wash the whole world clean to begin again… A world without God is a world without peace, and peace begins here.”

On Feb. 22, 1931, a young Polish nun, St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, saw a vision of the Risen Christ as the Divine Mercy with two large rays — one red, the other white — streaming from his heart. The Lord requested the nun have an image painted of her vision and to sign it “Jesus, I trust in you.” Calling her the apostle and secretary of his mercy, he ordered her to begin writing a diary so others would learn of his mercy.

Then-Pope, now St. John Paul II canonized Sister Faustina April 30, 2000, and declared the first Sunday following Easter celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday.

Following the liturgy, many faithful queued at the confessionals, awaiting absolution, while others venerated a first-class relic of Sister Faustina, given to the diocese by the late Bishop Vincent de Paul Breen. Later, the Divine Chaplet, a series of prayers spoken or sung upon the rosary, professed the penitents’ mission of mercy.

A representative from the diocesan Divine Mercy Apostolate read excerpts from the 600-page diary of St. Faustina; gesturing towards the large banner near the altar which bore the image of Jesus as the Divine Mercy, he echoed the Polish nun’s conversation with Christ from nearly a century ago:

“The soul that will venerate this image will not perish… when hardened souls say [the Chaplet], I will fill their souls with peace and the hour of their death will be a happy one.”

”The soul that will venerate this image, the Risen Christ with two large rays — one red, the other white — streaming from his heart, will not perish...when hardened souls say [the Chaplet], I will fill their souls with peace and the hour of their death will be a happy one.”

DEACON PATRICK J. CLINE, who serves at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish, Bridgewater, has been the associate formation director for the diocesan Office of the Diaconate Class of 2015, 2019 and currently for the Class of 2024.

He was as a member of the Future Staffing Parishes Commission and Homiletics Formation Com -

mittee for the diocese. He has been a correspondent for “The Catholic Spirit” since 2013.

Deacon Cline was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to the late Mary Agnes Barnes and Patrick Joseph Cline. He and his wife, Vivian, have four children and 10 grandchildren. He has been blessed by being able to baptize their two younger children and eight grandchildren. He was also thrilled to witness the weddings of their two daughters, seven weeks apart.

Raised in New York City, Deacon Cline attended St. Bartholomew Elementary School in Elmhurst and Bishop Laughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn. He earned an Associate of Arts degree in liberal arts at Queensborough Community College, Bayside, N.Y. While serving with the U.S. Army in Germany from 1968 to 1971, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in commerce at the University of Maryland branch in Heidelberg, Germany. Ten years later, he returned to school and earned a master of professional studies degree in human relations at the New York Institute of Technology, New York.

He is a member of the Psi Chi national psychology honor society. Deacon Cline has also earned a certificate in religious counseling and spiritual di -

DEACON JAMES M. DALEY, who is now retired, served at St. Joseph Parish, Washington, from 1978 to 1993. He was born in Jersey City to the late William and Margrett Daley. He has two children, James and Keri.

Deacon Daley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1972 and a Master of Science degree in engineering management in 1986 from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark. He received his professional engineer’s license in New Jersey in 1977 and in Pennsylvania in 2005. During his career, he had been employed as Division Engineer at Automatic Switch Company, Florham Park, retiring in 2002. He then began a consulting business which he

DEACON MICHAEL J. FORRESTALL, who serves at Holy Trinity Parish, Bridgewater, was born in the County of Limerick, Ireland, to the late Mary Frances (O’Brien) and Patrick Forrestall. He and his wife of 60 years, Barbara, have four children, Laurie Ann, Michael Sean, Eileen and Patricia, and seven grandchildren.

He attended Irish Christian Brothers School in Limerick; Holy Name of Jesus Elementary School, Brooklyn, and Chelsea Vocational High School, Manhattan.

He studied at St. Francis College, Brooklyn, from 1962-64.

Prior to retiring in 1994, Deacon Forrestall had been employed as a manager of computer operations and manager of customer billing operations at AT&T, where he worked for 37 years.

After receiving his diaconate training in the Diocese of Trenton in 1978, he was ordained May 13 of the same year by Bishop George Ahr at St. Mary Cathedral, Trenton. He has ministered at Holy Trinity Parish since 1978.

rection from the Archdiocese of New York.

He is currently a candidate for a master’s degree in Church history at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, Seton Hall University, South Orange. From 2006 to 2010, he served as the institutional research specialist at the seminary.

After receiving his diaconate training in the Diocese of Brooklyn, Deacon Cline was ordained to the diaconate Dec. 2, 1978, by Bishop Francis J. Mugavero at St. James Cathedral, Brooklyn. He served in Resurrection Ascension Parish, Rego Park, N.Y. until 1985. Nine months later, Deacon Cline began his ministry at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Parish. His ministry experience includes serving as director of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. He also served in nursing homes and in pre-Cana and adult education programs. He was the area coordinator for Project Children; and a board member of American Friends of Westminster Cathedral, London, U.K. He had the opportunity to serve as a deacon of Westminster Cathedral from May to October 2002.

During his career, Deacon Cline worked as a systems analyst/project leader at Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.; project manager at Swiss Re; and senior manager at Deloitte Consulting.

finally closed in December 2019. He is a contributing author to five books and has had more than 20 technical papers published.

While working in Saudi Arabia in the 1980s, he was told he worked differently with people. Reflecting on that on his flight home, he realized his call to ministry was in the places where he worked and traveled, and that he no longer needed vestments to preach successfully.

After receiving his diaconate training in the Diocese of Trenton, Deacon Daley was ordained to the diaconate May 17, 1978, by Bishop George Ahr at St. Mary Cathedral, Trenton.

During his 35 years of ministry, Deacon Forrestall has been involved in many ministry experiences, including serving as principal of the religious education program, coordinator for certification of religious education teachers, chairman of the parish vocations committee, parish historian, hospice chaplain for the Visiting Nurse Service, as well as conductsing weekly nursing home services. He has witnessed marriages, administered the sacrament of baptism and has served as a member of the parish synod committee.

Deacon Forrestall has also assisted the diocese by serving as the diocesan liaison for Catholic Relief Services and the Campaign for Human Development. He was a member of the diocese’s pastoral council, a member of the Deacon Personnel Board, and associate director of Continuing Education.

He is a Fourth Degree member of the Somerville Knights of Columbus and a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernian

DEACON WILLIAM BAUER is retired from full-time active ministry at Immaculate Conception Parish, Annandale, but continues to serve the parish on a part-time basis. He was ordained to the diaconate May 7, 1983 at St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral, Metuchen.

Deacon Bauer was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He and his wife, Mary, are the parents of two daughters, Theresa and Kristin, and a son, Daniel, who is deceased.

He attended Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal School, Ridgewood, N.Y., and graduated from St. John Preparatory School, Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1958.

He studied at St. John’s University, Queens, from 1958-59.

While working a full-time job at AT&T, Deacon Bauer took college courses part-time at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Meanwhile, he remained active at Immaculate Conception Parish, serving as a lector and extraordinary minister of holy Communion, participating in a charismatic prayer group and organizing men’s retreats.

In 1980, Deacon Bauer earned a bachelor’s degree in science after 18 years of attending evening classes. Soon after, he discovered an opportunity to continue his education as part of the diaconate formation class.

Deacon Bauer retired in 1989 after 31 years at AT&T. He spent five years working full-time for the Diocese of Metuchen as director of parish social ministry

and later spent four years as a school bus driver before fully retiring. He continues to work on a part-time basis at a local golf course.

In addition to working with pre-Cana and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at Immaculate Conception, Deacon Bauer focused his ministry on aiding those who are less fortunate. He worked for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen, at its homeless shelter in Perth Amboy and at the food pantry in Phillipsburg; and as a chaplain at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, Union Township, from 1984-2012.

At his parish, he introduced an ongoing program to help the poor and homeless families in Haiti. To date, through the Haiti project 90 homes have been constructed for the homeless and thousands of pounds of rice plus farm animals to trees, water pumps and school supplies provided. In addition, help was given in the construction of a school classroom.

Since 2005, Deacon Bauer spends winters in Florida with his wife, during which time he serves as a deacon in the Diocese of Venice.

DEACON LAWRENCE P. REILLY, who exercises his ministry at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Piscataway, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He attended Holy Cross School; and Xaverian High School before transferring to Erasmus Hall, all in Brooklyn.

He earned an associate degree in electrical engineering at City College of New York; and a degree in project management at American University, Washington, D.C.

After a long career with the Bell System, Deacon Reilly retired. Now he works part-time at a greenhouse.

HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR DEACONS JOHN RADVANSKI AND RON CAIMI

Deacon Reilly was ordained May 7, 1983, at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, Metuchen.

During his ministry, he led youth groups, served on the vocations committee at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Piscataway, and assisted in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. He also helped establish a bereavement program with Deacon Stanley J. Lorenc to assist widows and widowers.

Deacon Reilly and his wife, Marie, are the parents of two sons and grandparents of six children.

Restoration of the diaconate as a permanent order of ministry in the Church occurred as a result of the Second Vatican Council in the mid 1960’s. St. Pope Paul VI published new norms for the Diaconate in his Apostolic Letter, “Ad Pascendum.”

Pope Paul described the deacon as “the interpreter of the needs and the desires of the Christian communities, and the sign or sacrament of Christ the Lord Himself who came not to be

served but to serve.” St. Pope John Paul II stated that “The service of the deacon is the Church’s service sacramentalized.”

As of 2022, there were more than 19,000 deacons in the United States, which represents about 40 percent of the global Catholic church’s deacons.

The Diocese of Metuchen was established on Nov. 19, 1981 by a division of the Diocese of Trenton. At that time, there were 50 ordained deacons who lived and were ministering in the area served by the new diocese; 30

candidates were still in training.

There have been 15 formation classes in the history of the diocese, including our first Spanish-speaking class of 15 Candidates who were ordained in May 2022.

There are currently about 140 active deacons ministering in the diocese of Metuchen and 33 retired deacons.

For information about the Office of the Diaconate, visit https://diometuchen. org/diaconate

Deacon Kern is director of the diocesan Office of the Diaconate

Pope: deacons are interpreters of needs, desires of Christian communities

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A Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, You are God. I praise you because you are holy, and I thank you for dwelling in my heart. Thank you for working in my life. You guided me into salvation, renewed my dead spirit, and you opened my eyes to the Truth. Thank you.

Help me to see you more clearly – to recognize your movement in my life. Make me more sensitive to you so I can follow you more closely. Still, I know that I am selfish and rebellious. I need you to help me be obedient when I recognize your leading. I need you.

I ask you for your help and comfort today. You know my pain and anxieties very well. Thank you for praying over me. Help me to rest in your comfort today.

Help me to walk in you, the Spirit of God. Grow good fruit in my life. You are the one who produces these in me: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I cannot live out these things on my own; I need you. Amen

Advisors bring wealth of experience to evangelization effort

(OSV News) — Two newly appointed Vatican consultants on evangelization told OSV News that prayer, humility and authentic friendship are key to spreading the Gospel, particularly among youth and young adults.

“People are waiting to hear that there’s a God who loves them and has a plan for them,” said Curtis Martin, founder and chief executive officer of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), an international Catholic outreach serving close to 200 college campuses and more than 20 parishes.

Martin and Petroc Willey, professor of catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, were among 15 consultants appointed by Pope Francis April 25 to the Dicastery for Evangelization’s

first section. Led by Italian Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the section promotes evangelization, missionary discipleship, catechesis and engagement in those nations where Christianity is well established.

Both Martin and Willey, who previously served as consultors to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization under Pope Benedict XVI, bring long experience with evangelizing college students to their new roles — a qualification that enables them to grasp the local and universal aspects of evangelization.

“This little section of Ohio … where I now live is an amazing reminder of the global Church,” said Willey. “In Franciscan University’s library are hung all of the flags of the international student population who have studied here. It is inspiring for me also to be able to work in [the

university’s] Catechetical Institute and support the work of its International Guild of Catechists, both of which have this kind of broad reach ... with evangelizers and catechists in more than 35 countries.”

Martin said that FOCUS is “watching the overflow” as its more than 55,000 alumni “take the Gospel everywhere” beyond college campuses, into the realms of “religious vocations, families, parishes, businesses, law and politics.”

Amid rapid advances in technology as well as increased secularization, the work of evangelization continues to draw first on the Church’s enduring principles, said Willey.

“The Church has an incredible heritage of wisdom and centuries of experience about evangelization and effective formation,” he said, citing the parable of the sower (Mt 13:1-9, Mk 4:1-20, Lk 8:48,11-15) as a key example.

“The seed given ... crucially reminds us that this is God’s work, undertaken in the power of the Holy Spirit,” said Willey. “He always provides the grace needed for conversion.”

At the same time, “the state of the soil in the parable reminds us that the blockages and obstacles are many,” he said, with “the hard soil [reminding] us of the cultural impediments, as well as the hardness of heart that can exist.”

Evangelization requires a willingness to “lead with friendship and gain trust,” particularly given heightened polarization and divisiveness in the U.S., said Martin.

FOCUS missionaries “get to know [young people] where they are,” he said. “We’re out there hiking, skiing, playing Frisbee, having a pizza with them. We develop friendships in noncontroversial ways, and then when controversy does arise, it’s among friends who are more likely to listen and interpret [differences] in a positive light.”

Simply asking others if “the world is the way it ought to be” — which tends to elicit a negative answer — can provide

“common ground,” said Martin. “By saying ‘no,’ you’ve already indicated that you agree there’s a standard.”

The Gospel message can then be proposed, said Willey, since “evangelization is all about the transmission of life — of the Life [Jesus] — and that means restoring sense, order and hope.”

Martin and Willey both stressed the centrality of prayer and sacramental grace to the mission of evangelization.

“

“We have an enemy [Satan], so prayer and fasting and the bold call to faith on the part of evangelizers are vital,” said Willey.

Martin said FOCUS missionaries rely on daily “Mass, holy hours, rosaries and chaplets of Divine Mercy.”

“We tell them, ‘Before you talk to college students about God, talk to God about college students,’” he said.

Willey said that evangelization also requires “a certain confidence that God works often in apparent obscurity.”

“Disciples are made here and now, in our day-to-day circumstances,” he said. “God sees us and works through us in the mundane.”

Gina Christian is a national reporter for OSV News. Follow her on Twitter at @GinaJesseReina

Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium on the Roman Curia and its service to the Church and to the World.

“The Dicastery serves the work of evangelization, so that Christ, the light of the nations, may be known and witnessed to by word and deed, and the Church, his mystical Body, may be built up. The Dicastery is competent for fundamental questions regarding evangelization in the world and for the establishment, assistance and support of new particular Churches, without prejudice to the competence of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches”

(Art. 53, § 1).

We have an enemy [Satan], so prayer and fasting and the bold call to faith on the part of evangelizers are vital.”

Petroc Willey

Beloved priest, ‘brother and friend’ mourned at memorial Mass

Bishop James F. Checchio presided at a memorial Mass for Father Blaise R. Baran at St. Joseph Church, Washington, May 5. Father Baran, 68, who last served in the dioceses as pastor, St. Joseph Parish, died April 23.

Father Guy W. Selvester, pastor, St. Joseph’s, was one of the concelebrants.

Father Daniel Sloan, a retired priest from the diocese who lives at Maria Regina Residence, Somerset, and a longtime friend of Father Baran’s, gave the homily.

A couple weeks after the funeral Mass, Father Sloan told “The Catholic Spirit” the “foundation for Father Baran’s priestly ministry can be traced to his family — [deceased] parents [Blaize and Jean], and his siblings [Jackie, Theresa, Frankie, Carla and Peter],” as well as “the love of God, love of family and love of neighbor.”

“He grew up in an environment where this was stressed and lived,” Father Sloan said.

During his priestly ministry, Father Sloan noted, Father Baran “served the people of God in Australia and Argentina, but he missed his family, he wanted to be close to them, and his roots in Staten Island [N.Y.]”

“So, in 1987, he settled here in the Diocese of Metuchen – [as parochial vicar at] St. Andrew’s [Parish] in Avenel, just across the Arthur Kill, the waterway that separates New Jersey and Staten Island.”

Father Sloan noted that Father Baran frequently used the phrase, “Thank you, Jesus” to remind the faithful how Christ was working in their lives — “the good times, the not-so-good times, and even when things were, routine and dull.”

Father Sloan closed his homily by saying, “It is time for us to say that prayer that Father Blaise said so often, ‘Thank you, Jesus.’

“Father Blaise, thank you for being my brother and friend. Thank you, Jesus, for letting Father Blaise be part of our lives.”

Laura Torres, parish secretary at St. Joseph’s, said she met Father Baran in 2006 when he was assigned to the parish and worked with him until he left in 2015. She described him as a “caring, loving man” with whom “I was verly blessed to work with.”

“His faith, his priesthood was everything to him, he once told me,” Torres continued. “And, family was everything to him. His mother always said, ‘United in the Eucharist.

“His big saying was, ‘Thank you, Jesus.’”

Father Baran enjoyed cultivating the faith of youth, Torres said. For example, he guided many young men in their Eagle Scout projects and brought Discovery Day [a retreat] to St. Ann Parish, Raritan Borough, when he was there, for the children who were going to make their confirma-

him from Middlesex and Australia.

Father Baran was so committed to his priestly ministry he never seemed to take a day off, Torres said.

In addition to his human flock, Father Baran’s love of shepherding extended to his pet dogs. Torres has adopted his most recent dog, Bella.

Torres said last spoke to Father Baran about two months ago. “He asked how things were going and about my family,” she said. “He was always uplifting. If I was having a bad day he would say, ‘Put your faith in the Lord.’”

Father Blaise, who was born and raised in Staten Island, studied at the University of Chicago as well as studying theology in Toronto. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1982 for the Scalabrinian Missionaries to serve immigrants. He served at St. Kevin Church in Dee Why, a suburb of Sydney, Australia, as well as missions in South America.

A memorial Mass was celebrated for Father Blaise R. Baran (top left) at St. Joseph Church, Washington, May 5. Father Baran last served in the diocese as pastor of St. Joseph Parish. Top right, Bishop James F. Checchio, principal celebrant, receives the gifts from Father Baran’s siblings Frank Baran, Peter Baran, Theresa Pizzo, Carla Baran and Jacquelyn Burmeister. Above, Bishop Checchio elevates the host during the consecration. Father Baran, who died April 23 at the age of 68, was ordained to the priesthood in 1982 for the Scalabrinian Missionaries to serve immigrants. Ed Koskey Jr. photos

In 1987, he transferred to the diocese, where he served as parochial vicar at St. Andrew Parish; St. Paul the Apostle Parish, Highland Park; and Sts. Philip and James Parish, Philipsburg. Incardinated in 1991, he served as pastor at St. Ann Parish, Raritan Borough, and Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish, Middlesex, before coming to St. Joseph’s.

He also served as a chaplain for the Knights of Columbus and was instrumental in bringing youth programs to his parishes.

In 2015, he moved to the Diocese of Las Vegas and was named parochial administrator at La Virgen de Guadalupe Parish, Mesquite, Nev., where his funeral Mass was celebrated days before

the Memorial Mass.

Father Baran was also a charter member of the first Faithful Friar of the Father Emil Kapuan Assembly and chaplain of the Mesquite Council of the Knights of Columbus. Under his leadership, the Council achieved Double Star Council, the highest award that the Knights of Columbus gives to Council.

In addition to his siblings, Father Baran is survived by nine nephews, four nieces, five great-nephews and two greatnieces.

Donations to the memory of Father Baran may be made to benefit the Capital Campaign at Saint Joseph Church.

Arrangements were handled by Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home, Staten Island.

Respect for Life

First Grade

Poster contest winners

Second Grade

Fifth Grade

Sixth Grade

This year’s theme was: “St. Teresa of Calcutta had a beautiful understanding of the inherent dignity of the human person. Find a quote from St. Teresa and draw a picture about her message. Include her quote on your poster.”

• 12 Catholic Schools Participated • 5 Religious Education Programs Participated • A total of 100 posters entries were submitted

All poster entries submitted to the diocese were already winners in their own parishes and schools. The first- and second-place posters will be used to create a Respect Life Calendar for 2023/2024.

Third Grade

First Place

David Otvos

St. Matthias School

Somerset

Seventh Grade

First Place

Camryn Leake

St. Bartholomew School

East Brunswick

Second Place

Kieren Mgbako

St. John Vianney School, Colonia

First Place

Serelia Rivera

St. Francis Cathedral School, Metuchen

Fourth Grade Eigth Grade

Second Place Tie

Chloe Iatauro

St. Stanislaus Kostka, Sayerville

Second Place Tie

Gabriel Sawyer

St. John Vianney School, Colonia

First Place

Karianne Munoz

Perth Amboy Catholic School, Perth Amboy

Second Place

Quinn Henry

St. Anthony of Padua Religious Education, Port Reading

Second Place

Madelyn Quintanilla

St. Bartholomew School

East Brunswick

Diocesan-sponsored hospital receives major honor from publication

For the second consecutive year, Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick, has been named to “Newsweek’s” list of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals 2023, a prestigious award presented by the magazine and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider.

The awards list was announced May 10, and may be viewed on “Newsweek’s” website.

Three data sources were used for the evaluation:

• Nationwide online survey: Health care professionals and hospital managers with knowledge about maternity processes e.g., neonatal and perinatal doctors, nurses and midwives were asked to recommend leading maternity hospitals in the US

• Medical Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on hospitals with a focus on indicators relevant to maternity care

• Results from patient surveys

“Newsweek” and Statista invited

more than 10,000 medical professionals to participate in the survey. Only 384 winners were recognized on the Best Maternity Hospitals 2023 list.

The honor reinforces the hospital’s long-standing reputation as a destination for excellence in maternal health services.

“Saint Peter’s is known throughout the region as a leader in women and children’s services with the ability to care for expectant mothers at every level on the spectrum, from high-risk pregnancies to those seeking to give birth in our state-ofthe-art birth center,” said Leslie D. Hirsch, president and chief operating officer, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, parent company of Saint Peter’s University Hospital.

“The ‘Newsweek’ recognition validates the fact that choosing Saint Peter’s means choosing to birth your baby at one of the best facilities in the country and is also a testament to Saint Peter’s team of maternal health specialists that are among the top nationwide providing comprehensive care before, during and after pregnancy.”

Saint Peter’s is home to a statedesignated Regional Perinatal Center that provides an exceptional level of care to women experiencing a high-risk pregnancy and operates a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where premature or fragile newborns receive the highest level of specialized care. The hospital is certified in Perinatal Care by The Joint Commission and is the state’s first to be verified as a Level IV Maternal Care facility by The Joint Commission. Its midwifery-led Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center is one of the few hospital-based birth centers in the country and features birthing suites designed with a home-like atmosphere. Since 1997, Saint Peter’s has been the sole New Jersey hospitalmember of The Council of Women’s and Infants’ Specialty Hospitals (CWISH), a collaborative of 14 hospitals across the country that works together to establish best practices in support of programs, and national policy for women’s and infants’ healthcare services.

Saint Peter’s University Hospital is a 478-bed acute-care teaching hospital that earned its sixth consecutive designation as a Magnet® hospital for nursing excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2020, is a statedesignated children’s hospital and a regional perinatal center, and is a regional specialist in diabetes, gastroenterology, head and neck surgery, oncology, orthopedics, and women’s services.

Saint Peter’s is the recipient of the Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses for the adult intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, cardiac progressive care unit, and the pediatric intensive care unit.

Saint Peter’s is a sponsor of residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and internal medicine, and is a major clinical affiliate of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. Visit saintpetershcs.com or call (732) -745-8600.

Charitable organization honors three for support of education

Leslie D. Hirsch, president and chief executive director, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, New Brunswick, and Linda Muratore, chair of the Mathematics Department at Saint Joseph’s School, Metuchen, were honorees at the Hope Through Education gala at the Hamilton Farm Golf Club, Gladstone, May 4.

Hirsch was presented with the Hope Person of the Year Award for his commitment to supporting educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged children.

In addition, the 2023 Hope Award was presented to Thomas and Erin True. Thomas is a principal of World Insurance Associates.

Hope Through Education is an independent 501(c)3 charitable organization that provides economically disadvantaged children in central New Jersey with tuition assistance to attend academically excel-

lent, values-based schools. Scholarships are based on need without regard to gender, race, religion or ethnic background.

The annual Awards Gala is one of its primary sources of funding for the scholarships it provides to Hope Scholars in Warren, Somerset, Hunterdon and Somerset counties.

Bill Spadea, radio show host and founder of The Common Sense Club, served as master of ceremonies.

Above, at the Hope Through Education Gala, Father Jonathan S. “Jay” Toborowsky (right), diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia, poses with Leslie D. Hirsch (second from left), president and chief executive officer, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, New Brunswick, and recipient of the Hope Person of the Year Award, and his wife, Carol. Marlo Williamson photos

Annual retreat focuses on call to discipleship, ‘picking up his cross’

members Chris Costa and Mary-Joe Stephan.

Members of the Petros community commented on how the retreat helped

said co-director Mary Joe Stephan, “he [Christ] continues to choose us. He’s not

Below, members of the Petros community who gathered at the Fellowship Deaconry in Basking Ridge pose at their annual retreat. Top left, are retreat directors, Chris Costa, holding microphone, and Mary-Joe Stephen. The retreat entitled, “Come After Me,” focused on Discipleship. Gerald Wutkowski Jr. photos

Following Jesus and imitating him, especially with deeds of closeness and mercy towards others. This is the compass for reaching Heaven: loving Jesus, the way, becoming signs of his love on earth….Brothers and sisters, let us live the present, let us take the present in hand, but let us not be overwhelmed; let us look up, let us look to Heaven, let us remember the goal, let us think that we are called to eternity, to the encounter with God. And, from Heaven to the heart, let us renew today the choice of Jesus, the choice to love him and to walk behind him. May the Virgin Mary, who following Jesus has already arrived at the goal, sustain our hope.

‘Sinful’ woman can be role model of faithfulness, courage for all

For more than 40 years, I made my living by knowing other people’s business. Since I got out of newspaper journalism, however, I have tried to know only as much as I need to know — or, perhaps more accurately, as much as people want me to know.

I was thinking about that recently while I was reading “Mary Magdalene: A Cultural History” by Philip C. Almond, professor emeritus of the history of religious thought at the University of Queensland, Australia.

As the title implies, Almond explores the many ways Mary has been imagined and presented over the centuries. Necessarily, this includes the idea endorsed by Pope Gregory the Great that before her encounter with Jesus Mary was a prostitute. The pope, in a sixth century homily, drew this conclusion by identifying Mary Magdalene with the “sinful” woman described in Luke’s Gospel who bathed

Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. He also took the reference to Jesus ridding Mary of seven demons to mean that she had dabbled in all seven of the deadly sins.

This practice of identifying one literary character with another is called “conflation” and, as Almond describes in detail, Pope Gregory is hardly the only person to engage in it. Speculators over time have found Mary Magdalene to be the same person as Luke’s sinner and also Mary of Bethany — the sister of Lazarus. Modern scholarship has debunked these ideas.

Traditions have thrived about where Mary Magdalene went and what she did in the years after the Resurrection, about where she died and was buried, and about where her remains have been transported by relic enthusiasts.

The notion has also been developed that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married and that she bore him a child and that the Church has been at pains to keep

this a secret. The marriage myth was famously disseminated in recent times in Dan Brown’s novel “The DaVinci Code” and the film based upon it. Besides being disrespectful, such works run the risk that gullible people will take the stories as true and that cynics will use such fiction to demean the Church and the Christian faith in general.

The fact is that all the information we have about Mary Magdalene is in the gospels. To put it another way, all the information we need about Mary is in the gospels. Luke’s Gospel informs us that Mary and two other women, Joanna and Susanna, accompanied Jesus as he traveled through Palestine and provided financial support for his ministry. All four evangelists report that Mary was the first witness and the first herald of the Resurrection. She remained faithful to Jesus to the end. She went to the tomb, she encountered the risen Christ, she proclaimed the news to the apostles.

These accounts of the preeminent role that Mary played in the gospel story are remarkable both because it was inconsistent with the cultural and religious norms of Jewish society for women to accompany a group of men not related to them, and it was out of character for writers in that time and place to assign to a woman such an important place as Mary occupied.

We Christians can save our curiosity for movie stars and other celebrities. Mary Magdalene, as she is presented in the gospels, is all she needs to be, a model of faithfulness and courage. In those qualities, she is a model for us to imitate. By virtue of our baptism, we are called to do what Mary did, to proclaim to the world, without embarrassment, fear, or hesitation, that Jesus Christ has risen and that he lives among us, in his word, in our hearts, and in the Eucharist. May we live up to her example.

Charles Paolino is a retried permanent deacon for the Diocese of Metuchen

Help build more compassionate society at home, in community

(1997), Washington (2008), Montana (by court ruling, 2008), Vermont (2013), California (2015), Colorado (2016), Hawaii (2018), New Jersey (2019), Maine (2019) and New Mexico (2021).

Care, Our Choice Act” (HI).

Over the past few years there have been a growing number of bills being introduced in state legislatures across the country to legalize so-called “medical aid in dying.” In recent months there has been a flurry of news reports and editorials about the need to expand physician-assisted suicide in states where the practice is already legal in order to make “the rightto-die” more accessible. In states like Vermont, where this practice is allowed, the law was recently amended to increase patient access by allowing end-of-life prescriptions through telemed. There is even movement to drop the residency requirement for those who want to travel to the beautiful Green Mountain State to end their lives with a lethal prescription of drugs. Simply put: the “right-to-die movement” is alive and well!

In 2019, after a seven-year battle in the legislature, New Jersey legalized physician-assisted suicide for residents 18 years of age or older, who have a terminal diagnosis of six months or less to live. Currently 10 states, along with the District of Columbia (2017), have laws permitting assisted suicide. They include: Oregon

Since it was signed into New Jersey state law in August of 2019, it is reported that 95 terminally ill New Jerseyans have taken their own lives by ingesting a lethal prescription of pills as permitted by the “Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act.” Since 1997, when Oregon became the first state to legalize this practice, more than 5,400 people have died from assisted suicide across the U.S. The data from state administrations show that the majority of those requesting and dying from assisted suicide are non-Hispanic, white patients with some college education, in their midseventies with cancer. Thus the push to expand laws to increase access for minorities and lower income patients.

One can argue that the term “physician-assisted suicide” is descriptive and accurate here because these laws permit “the act of taking one’s own life voluntarily and intentionally” (the definition of suicide) with the aid of a doctor who writes the lethal prescription. However, proponents of this practice such as the Hemlock Society (now part of “Compassion & Choices”) try to obscure the true meaning of these measures by using euphemisms such as “End of Life Option Act” (CA, NM, CO), “Death with Dignity Act” (OR, WA, ME, D.C.), “Our

We need look no further than Canada, Vermont’s northern neighbor, to see the “slippery slope” of such policies. Canada legalized assisted suicide for the terminally ill in 2016 and since then this law has been expanded dramatically. In 2021, the law was changed to include those with serious and chronic physical conditions, even if that condition was non-life threatening. Starting next year, people whose sole underlying condition is mental illness will be able to access assisted death. They are also strategizing on how they will allow “mature minors” to access it. These developments are not without controversy.

Patient autonomy as well as the fear of being hooked up to tubes and machines are reasons often cited for the need for assisted death. But patients already have the right to refuse any medical treatment they deem as burdensome and, should they become incompetent, patients can make decisions for future treatment through advance directives or a healthcare proxy.

The Catholic Church has always taught that “we are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us.” (CCC#2280) With regards to assisted suicide, the Church’s position is that our society should be a caring and compassionate one, founded on the promotion of human dignity, human freedom and the common good, whereas assisted suicide undermines human dignity and the com-

mon good. This is based on our belief that all individuals are created in God’s image and worthy of being valued and feeling valued by our society, regardless of the circumstances in which they find themselves. Our leaders and laws should affirm this basic human worth.

In his encyclical, “The Gospel of Life,” then-Pope, now St. John Paul II states, “True ‘compassion’ leads to sharing another’s pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear.” Pope Francis has said, “We must accompany people towards death, but not provoke death or facilitate assisted suicide. Indeed, life is a right, not death, which must be welcomed, not administered.”

We can all play a role in building a more compassionate society, where dying is seen as a sacred process filled with meaning, not something to be calculated or hastened. Here are some ways to help: Seek out people in your family or community that are at risk of dying alone and keep company with them. Volunteer at a nursing home or local hospice. Bring the Eucharist to sick and homebound parishioners. Finally, pray for sick and dying patients and their families, that they receive full acceptance, loving support and the authentic care they need to be comforted by the peace of Christ.

For a copy of the New Jersey Catholic Conference Advance Directive for Healthcare visit: https://njcatholic.org/advancedirectives

Jesus sits at right hand of Father

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

This Sunday the Church marks the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, thus offering a special opportunity for us to celebrate the great truths that we proclaim so often in prayer — in the Apostles’ Creed we profess that Jesus “ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty,” and in the Nicene Creed at Mass every Sunday we similarly declare our faith that Jesus “ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” In the earliest eras of the Church, the Ascension was usually treated simply in the larger context of the Resurrection or Pentecost, but beginning in the late 3rd century in the East and shortly thereafter in the West, the important message of this particular part of the salvation history became a topic of interest in its own right.

The Ascension provides an important bridge between the Resurrection and the Holy Spirit’s descent upon the apostles; it completes a loop, if you will, in which the Eternal Son of God, fully possessed of God’s own divine nature, is sent by the Father to assume human nature, becoming incarnate of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and working to reveal God’s goodness, love, and compassion to a humanity in need of redemption. Jesus, fully divine and fully human, completes this mission by his life and teaching, death and Resurrection, and then, after offering the great commission to his chosen apostles (“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), he returns to heaven, to his place of eternal glory. The Ascension thus marks an immense blessing for humanity in that (1) we can celebrate our God and Savior’s return to the place of worship and majesty that is rightfully his,

The Church places before us this Sunday two readings especially important for our understanding of Christ’s Ascension: in the First Reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we are treated to a glimpse of what those initial apostles themselves may have experienced on that day of the Lord’s Ascension, and then in the reading from St. Matthew’s Gospel, we hear the Lord’s great commission — both to those early followers and to us.

The first chapter of Acts gives a brief overview of Jesus’ post-Resurrection activity with his disciples, and then, after 40 days, tells of Jesus instructing them to remain together until the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. He tells them to “be [his] witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8 b-c) at which point, “when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud took him from their sight” (Acts 1:9).

St. Matthew’s Gospel offers a further elaboration of the commission that Jesus laid upon them and their successors. Significantly, St. Matthew introduces this vignette by telling us that when the Eleven saw Jesus, “they worshipped [him], but they doubted” (Mt 28:17); followers of Jesus, even those so committed that they would worship him are also imperfect, sometimes questioning, quite often slow to understand, maybe even sinful people. When modern day disciples recognize these characteristics in themselves, there is no cause for despair — Jesus has always chosen such people, and look at the good they have been able, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to accomplish over the past two millennia.

Next, Jesus comes to the heart of his commission; he reminds them that “all power in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” (Mt 28:18b), that is, that the task he is laying upon them is the fruit of his divine power and an extension of the mission that the Eternal Father had bestowed upon him. He then commands them to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19a) — (disciples being understood as those who embrace Jesus’ teaching with loving, rapt attention and then fully commit themselves to living it out) and to do this by “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” (Mt 28:19b) and by “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:20a).

Joan of Arc

1412-1431

May 30

Crosiers

An illiterate but intelligent French peasant girl, Joan was thrust into the Hundred Years’ War by her “voices,” inner promptings urging her to save France from England and Burgundy. After meeting the French dauphin and being examined by theologians, she led the army to victories at Orleans and Patay. Captured later by the Burgundians, she was abandoned by the dauphin and sold to the English, who burned her at the stake for witchcraft and heresy. Joan was rehabilitated by a papal commission in 1456.

Saints

SCRIPTURE SEARCH®

Gospel for May 21, 2023

Acts 1: 1-11 / Matthew 28:16-20

Following is a word search based on the First Reading and Gospel for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Cycle A. The words can be found in all directions in the puzzle.

THEOPHILUS CHOSEN FORTY WATER RESTORE ISRAEL SEASONS POWER SIGHT TWO MEN ELEVEN MOUNTAIN JESUS DOUBTED ON EARTH THEREFORE NATIONS THE NAME HOLY SPIRIT COMMANDED ALWAYS

FROM SIGHT

(2) we can rejoice in the fact our human nature, fully possessed by Christ, is now ensconced eternally with the Godhead in heaven, (3) having assumed our human nature, Christ promised to be an effective Intercessor for us at the very throne of God, and (4) having returned to heaven, the Son along with the Father sent the Holy Spirit upon his disciples enabling them to remember Jesus’ teaching, to live it out and proclaim it faithfully it to all peoples, and to remain united with one another and with Christ the Lord in the Church.

With a final promise that “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20b), Jesus’ earthly time with those disciples, his words of commission, and St. Matthew’s Gospel conclude. History tells us both of the grandeur of the possibilities to which Jesus’s commission gives rise, and of the hopes for good that disciples in every age can accomplish as they set out to fulfill this commission anew in every age.

Msgr. Fell is a Scripture scholar and director, diocesan Office for Priest Personnel

With a final promise that “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20b), Jesus’ earthly time with those disciples, his words of commission, and St. Matthew’s Gospel conclude.

Drive- thru diaper distribution helps new and expecting parents

Catholic Charities Diocese of Metuchen (CCDOM) Maternity Services, in collaboration with The Middlesex County Mobile Family Success Center (MFSC), hosted its first drive-thru diaper distribution on Wednesday, April 26th from 4pm-6pm. Approximately 30 families and 49 children received a trunk full of baby items including: a full box of diapers, baby wipes, baby books, a brandnew diaper bag, a baby swaddle and bottle. Families in need also received select infant formula donated by the NJ Department of Children and Families. Additional partners included, WellCare, Replenish of Middlesex County and various donors.

A second distribution was held on May 9th due to the overwhelming demand and another 41 families were served.

Rosela Roman, Director of the Mobile Family Success Center, said that, “offering a second diaper distribution allowed our collaborative efforts with CCDOM Maternity Services to address maternal health and the needs of families especially those with children in diapers. Together we help bridge the gap between the high

inflation of basic household goods and baby supply needs. Seeing the faces of parents receiving these much-needed supplies warmed my heart. We are not only supporting working parents but we are simultaneously building healthy families and resilient communities. We know that families are struggling and together we help ease some of their financial tension. We were asked frequently, “when is the next diaper distribution?” At the moment it is uncertain, however, we do have planned a community baby shower in the Fall”. “CCDOM is called to serve pregnant and parenting mothers in need. As a mom and social worker, I know that the burden on moms is sometimes heavy and I hope that we were able to lighten it just a little bit,” said Jessica Polizzotto, Service Area Director.

The CCDOM Maternity Services Program supports expecting and new parents in need of guidance and support, including counseling and case management to explore permanency plans for their child. The Maternity program is proud to have been a support to pregnant women and families in need for over 30 years. The program is grateful to the generosity of the parishes in the sharing of

their gifts to our communities. Through Diocesan support, we have also been able to find and share other resources to support mothers and their families. Any further questions about Maternity Ser

Case Managers

Crisis Intervention / Mental Health Specialists

Child Care Workers/Supervisors Clinical Supervisors

Receptionists

Clinicians

Psychiatrists

Peer Counselors

Substance Abuse Counselors

Administrative Assistants

We are Hiring

We offer comprehensive healthcare benefits, excellent vacation, sick, holiday time, competitive compensation and opportunities for growth and advancements. Visit ccdom.org/careers

Holy Trinity fosters access to ‘God the Father of mercy, love’

way by which the Holy Spirit teaches us to pray to God our Father” (ccc 2664).

Paragraphs 2663-2679

Prayer is the way we communicate with God. The way of prayer for Christ’s followers is to imitate Him by praying as He did to God Our Father in Heaven. In Matthew’s Gospel, we are counseled by Jesus: “This is how you are to pray: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name” ( Mt 6:9 ).

This reference to God as “Father” caused many arguments and debates over the years, not only in theological circles, but in recent years, even among parishioners. Arguing from the perspective of “social justice,” some insist that this reference to God as “father” is sexist. Why? Because it gives the infinite God of the universe a male attribute, and removes the feminine attribute that would point to God as She. An additional criticism leveled toward the idea of God as “father” concerns the problem of a demeaning, unloving God, similar to many earthly fathers, who are abusive and unkind. Of course, such abusive earthly fathers have nothing to do with earthly fathers who are loving and kind, and certainly have nothing to do with God the Father of mercy and love described and revealed by Jesus Christ.

As a young priest, I often felt hurt by assumptions leveled against God, but I always explained that no matter how our own dads may have behaved toward us, such attributes could never exist with regard to God our Father in Heaven. He is, was and always will be a loving, merciful Father like the One described by His only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To say it another way, no matter how abusive one’s earthly dad may be, our consolation as Catholics is that our Father in Heaven is and always will be a completely loving Father. Why do we refer to God as Father and not Mother? Because Sacred Scripture reveals or captures the way which God prefers to be addressed: “as Father” (Mt 6:9 ).

How do we gain access to our Father in Heaven? The Catechism explains: “Whether our prayer is communal or personal, vocal or interior, it has access to the Father only if we pray ‘in the name’ of Jesus” (ccc 2664). Next, we get a glimpse of how the Holy Spirit participates in this prayerful access to the Father. The Catechism states: “The sacred humanity of Jesus is therefore the

The catechism explains further that although our prayer is always directed “above all” to God our Father, it is addressed first to Jesus Christ. “Certain psalms, given their use in the Prayer of the Church, and the New Testament, place on our lips and engrave in our hearts prayer to Christ in the form of invocations: Son of God, Word of God, Lord, Savior, Lamb of God, King, Beloved Son, Son of the Virgin, Good Shepherd, our Life, our Light, our Hope, our Resurrection, Friend of mankind.” (ccc 2665). However, “the most usual formulation, transmitted by the spiritual writers, is the invocation: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners.’ It combines the Christological hymn of Philippians 2:611 with the cry of the publican and the blind men begging for light. By it the heart is opened to human wretchedness and the Savior’s mercy” (ccc 2667).

In addition to honoring the name of Jesus, which is “the simplest way of praying always” (ccc 2668), the Church likewise venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus because “out of love for us, he allowed [his heart] to be pierced by our sins” (ccc 2669). Each time we invoke Jesus in prayer “it is the Holy Spirit who draws us on the way of prayer by his prevenient grace” (ccc 2670). The Catechism refers to the Holy Spirit as “the interior Master of Christian prayer” (ccc 2672). As such, the simplest, most direct prayer to the Holy Spirit is one most familiar to us: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.”

Through our prayerful engagement, “the Holy Spirit unites us to the person of the only Son, in his glorified humanity, through which and in which our filial prayer unites us in the Church with the Mother of Jesus [as well]” (ccc 2673). We all recall how the gift of God’s Holy Spirit assisted Mary when she gave her consent in faith “at the Annunciation and maintained it without hesitation at the foot of the Cross. Ever since, her motherhood has extended to [us] the brothers and sisters of her Son…” (ccc 2674).

Mary’s faith is exemplified in her Hymn of Praise known as the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), and outlined in the Ave Maria (the Hail Mary – Luke 1:28; 42), taken from the words spoken by the Archangel Gabriel and Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth. Both, found in St. Luke’s Gospel, help us understand Mary’s unique role as Mother of God in salvation history. As the Catechism points out, “Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er)” (ccc 2679). And, like John, the beloved disciple, “we welcome Jesus’ mother into our homes, for she has become the mother of all the living. We can pray with and to her” (ccc 2679).

We depend on Mary’s motherly care, as we pray in the Ave Maria, not only “now” in our busy lives, but also when we surrender ourselves to her Son “at the hour of death.” No wonder this beautiful prayer is the foundation of the most holy rosary, a prayer that can be communal or personal, vocal or interior. We echo the words of the Catechism: “May she welcome us as our mother at the hour of our passing to lead us to her

son, Jesus, in paradise” (ccc 2677).

Let us take our cue from Mary, the first and most perfect disciple. The following acronym may be helpful ~ MA-R-Y ~ Mary Always Responded Yes. May we, too, respond ‘YES’ to God in our prayers.

Father Hillier is director, diocesan Office of Pontifical Mission Societies, the Office for Persons with Disabilities and Censor Luborum

St. James Parish Administrative Assistant Job Opening:

Supports the day-to-day operations of the parish, interacts with the parish community at-large, including clergy, religious sisters, parish ministries, diocesan staff, school personnel, and act as a confidential secretary to the Pastor. Manages scheduling, performs general office duties, maintains electronic communications.

Please contact: Merari Castanon at parishmanager@saintjamesbr.org Msgr. Cronin scronin@diometuchen.org

St. Thomas Aquinas High students demonstrate knowledge at ‘Fair’

At a recent STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, art and math) FAIR, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Edison, students demonstrated how they are learning from the interdisciplinary approach. Right, freshman Brianna Mercado demonstrates the fourth prototype of the Robotics Club’s First Tech Challenge robot. Below, junior Sandra Abrantes, vice president of the STEM program, uses a metal forge to make tools. Bottom: junior Samuel Villanueva gives tutorials of music creation hardware and software. — photos courtesy of St. Thomas Aquinas High School

Parish hires retired law enforcement officer to strengthen security

SOMERVILLE — The Church of the Immaculate Conception has hired a former police captain as its first director of security to oversee safety and security measures for the parish and its two parochial schools, Immaculate Conception School and Immaculata High School.

Ret. Captain Rick Proctor, who concluded 20 years of service with the Summit Police Department in January, formally assumed the newly established position May 1.

“With school security and safety in houses of worship at the forefront of discussions in many households, workplaces, and other public spheres, it has long been a heavily-weighed consideration as to how [we] might strengthen our own security procedures, preparedness, and training,” Msgr. Joseph G. Celano, pastor and director of schools, wrote in a letter shared with school families on Friday.

“In the past few years, and especially in these past few months, our staff at all three sites has undergone rigorous safety and security training for those events we pray our community, or any community for that matter, will never see,” he continued, citing the staff’s regular participation in emergency response training. “So while I am confident that we have both reasonable and effective security pro-

tocols in place for the protection of our students, faculty, staff, and parishioners, I am even more confident now, given Mr. Proctor’s great wealth of knowledge and expertise in assisting schools and places of worship in establishing safety and security measures.”

St. John Vianney 50th Annual

Additionally, through his (Rick Proctor’s) security firm, VIAT Consulting, he has conducted countless site security assessments for schools, businesses, and houses of worship, among them the Church of the Immaculate Conception and its two schools, and has led presentations at conferences around the country, including the Tri-State (New Jersey, New York, Connecticut) Conference for Heads of School.

Between his service in the Marine Corps Military Police and his time in the Summit Police Department, where he served as the operations division commander and the security liaison to the city’s businesses, houses of worship, and 12 private and public schools, Proctor has more than 27 collective years of experience in law enforcement. Among his duties and assignments with the Summit Police Department, he served as the active shooter training instructor and held a leadership position on the Union County Emergency Response

Team (UCERT), in the area of civil disturbance response tactics. Having served as both the DARE/community services supervisor, and as the city’s juvenile detective, Proctor is highly experienced in adolescent and familial issues and mediation.

Additionally, through his security firm, VIAT Consulting, he has conducted countless site security assessments for schools, businesses, and houses of worship, among them the Church of the Immaculate Conception and its two schools, and has led presentations at conferences around the country, including the TriState (New Jersey, New York, Connecticut) Conference for Heads of School. Given his extensive experience in training more than 10,000 individuals, he is considered a leading expert in security.

“I think it goes without saying that we are fortunate to now officially count Mr. Proctor among the members of our staff,” Msgr. Celano wrote. “It is my hope that with the establishment of this position, and through the hiring of Mr. Proctor, our parish and our schools will be well-positioned to proactively and continually assess our security procedures and to lead the way in security best practices.”

Smith is Director of Marketing and Communications for Immaculata High School

Academy students’ teamwork nets top prize again at competition

WATCHUNG — For the second con secutive year in a row, the Mount Mary Academy Euro Challenge team has taken home the first-place trophy after compet ing on April 24. Among some very tough competition, the team excelled at ex plaining the current economic conditions in Europe and answered some very tough questions on the future of work in Italy.

The team includes sophomores Katherine Byrne of Westfield, Madison DeFrancisco of Metuchen, Mary Cate King of Basking Ridge, Megan Qurai shi of Maplewood, Grace Puglisi of Madison, Manuela Roncancio-Roldan of North Plainfield and Jenny Zhu of Berke ley Heights.

The Euro Challenge is a competition on European economic and monetary pol icy for ninth- and 10th-grade in the United States. Students learn about the Euro, the Single Market, and other important con cepts central to the European Union and macro/microeconomics. Student teams

Coach guides Falcons’ volleyball squad to record-setting 500th victory

METUCHEN

—

Saint Joseph High School volleyball coach and alumni

Miguel Cabrita (Class of 1991) earned a milestone victory as head volleyball coach during the Falcons’ victory over East Brunswick High April 21.

The 19-year head coach picked up his 500th career victory at Saint Joe’s, the first coach in school history to achieve the storied accomplishment.

“I never imagined that 35 years ago when I first stepped onto the volleyball court as a student at Saint Joe’s, that I would end up loving this sport so much,” Cabrita said. “Returning to coach at my alma mater was a dream come true. The past 19 years as head coach have been an absolute blur. I am blessed to work with the best student-athletes that a coach could ask for.

“Reaching 500 wins would have been impossible without their support. I am honored to be a part of the Saint Joseph Volleyball Community and am looking forward to the continued success of our program and our individual athletes.”

A 1991 graduate of Saint Joe’s, Cabrita continued his playing career on the national stage at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. He returned to his high school alma mater as an assistant coach from 1994-2004, helping lead the Falcons to their first state title in 2002.

After being named head volleyball coach in 2005, he immediately turned the program into a state powerhouse, leading the Falcons to state championships in 2006 and 2008 in his first four seasons at the helm. With a 43-1 record, the 2008 team is considered one of the best high school sports teams in New Jersey history.

Since 2008, Cabrita has led Saint Joe’s to three more NJSIAA State Section Championships (2010, 2011, 2013),

with three section second place finishes (2009, 2016, 2022).

“I have absolutely loved watching our young men with little to no experience step into the gym and transform into these impressive volleyball athletes not only during their time at Saint Joe’s, but also in college and beyond,” Cabrita said. “The past 19 years have flown by, with countless memories along the way. I look forward to the program’s continued success and seeing our student-athletes achieve their goals at the highest level.”

Cabrita has accumulated several coaching accolades during his tenure,

including the NJSIAA Coach of the Year (2008), Greater Middlesex Coach of the Year (2008, 2013, 2022), “Home News Tribune” Coach of the Year (2008, 2013, 2014) and the Newark Star-Ledger Coach of the Year (2009).

“Coach Miguel Cabrita is the ultimate Saint Joseph Falcon,” said the school’s president, John G. Nolan, Jr. “His tireless work ethic and commitment to the school and, specifically, the volleyball program is the reason why Saint Joe’s continues to thrive each and every day. On behalf of the Board of Directors, school leadership and Partners in Mission,

I congratulate Miguel on this fantastic accomplishment. His name has become synonymous with volleyball, not only at Saint Joe’s, but across New Jersey. We are blessed to have him as a member of our Saint Joe’s family and can’t wait to celebrate this once-in-a-generation milestone.”

Along with his role as head volleyball coach at Saint Joe’s, Cabrita is in his second stint as assistant principal and director of Admissions, a role he’s had since 2017. Prior to that, he held numerous positions, including assistant principal/dean of Students; director of Alumni and Development and teacher.

“Miguel Cabrita’s dedication to Saint Joseph High School is evident by how he works tirelessly to provide a culture of excellence for our students,” said Anne Rivera said, principal. “We congratulate him on this outstanding achievement and wish him continued success.”

Outside of Saint Joe’s, Cabrita was an assistant coach for the Rutgers University women’s volleyball team, as well as the head coach for the Rutgers men’s club volleyball team. He led the men’s team to a third place finish at Nationals in his final season.

Cabrita has also coached several high school girls volleyball programs, including J.P. Stevens High School (assistant), The Wardlaw-Hartridge School (head coach), Rutgers Preparatory School (head coach) and West WindsorPlainsboro (head coach). He was honored as the Coach of the Year at West Windsor-Plainsboro and helped the team earn its first conference championship.

Cabrita is also a certified volleyball official with the Central Jersey Volleyball Officials Association and was selected as the New Jersey Girls Volleyball Official of the Year by the NJSIAA.

Prep school team raises record

$21,085 for charitable agency

The ice hockey program at Saint Joseph High School, Metuchen, is filled with tradition. However, there might be no greater one than the team’s annual fundraiser to support a local charity.

The 2022-23 fundraiser took the culture of service and formation to new heights. In support of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the Saint Joe’s hockey team raised $21,185 over the course of the season, exceeding all goals and previous donations combined.

“Tunnel to Towers is such a worthy cause,” said Ryan Carter, a 1991 graduate of the school who serves as its ice hockey coach and director of athletics. “That’s more money than we’ve ever raised in one shot. I think there is some self-satisfaction because a lot of people said we couldn’t raise $10,000, but we doubled it.”

A retired New York/New Jersey Port Authority police officer, Carter saw the Tunnel to Towers Foundation as an opportunity to support an organization that many people can relate to.

“Tunnel to Towers is an organization that anyone can get behind,” Carter said. “They’ve proven that the money they take in, the vast majority, if not all of it, goes to people that served this country and paid the ultimate sacrifice for. It’s just a cause that everyone can get behind.”

Throughout the 2022-2023 season, the team hosted three charity hockey games, where they competed with teams from across the New York/New Jersey area that were impacted in some way by the 9/11 tragedy. Saint Joe’s hosted the

on page 32

Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS

2 Martyred Salvadoran, Bishop Romero

7 Patron saint of Norway

8 Holy Spirit

9 OT historical book

10 Fourth century pope

12 Confirmation gesture

13 Municipal pope?

14 Ezekiel’s vision

15 Jesuit missionaries compiled an atlas of this country

16 “…begotten, not ___…”

18 David married his widow

20 Tradition says Bartholomew preached here

22 Word from Pontius Pilate

23 Catholic fitness guru, Charles ___

24 One of the Magi

26 First Catholic United States Chief Justice

28 Biblical interjection

29 Articles of clothing or bones of saints

31 “Keep them fastened over your heart always; ___ them around your neck.” (Prov 6:21)

32 Place for nuns

33 Site of Xavier University, briefly

34 College of Cardinals’ task regarding the pope

DOWN

1 Josephite letters

2 Divine ___

3 Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem to be counted in this

4 Jericho heroine

5 Near ___ of sin

6 Archdiocese and capital of Canada

11 Ministers of Hospitality often do this

12 An end to repent?

16 Catholic actor, Fred ___Murray

17 Coordinator of parish programs (abbr.)

19 Word of praise and joy

21 Son of Abraham

22 OT historical book

23 11th century theologian

24 Hometown of Simon

25 First word of a Christmas carol

27 ___ Dame

30 ___ of the Spirit

Answers can be found on page 35

Student’s work graces cover of college’s annual publication

Former member of diocese

honored by Polish university

John M. Grondelski, at right in photo, recently received the Centennial Medal of the Catholic University of Lublin (Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawla II, KUL) from Father Miroslaw Kalinowski, rector, for his service to the institution in a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Grondelski, of Falls Church, Va., has been involved with KUL since his first visit, as a student of the Summer School of Polish Language and Culture, in 1987, especially in the areas of philosophy, theology, and Polish American studies. Grondelski is a former associate dean of the School of Theology at Seton Hall University, South Orange, and an honoree of the Perth Amboy High School Hall of Fame. He is a former member of St. John Paul II Parish, Perth Amboy KUL was founded in 1918. From 1944 until after 1989, it was the only free, independent, and Catholic university behind the Iron Curtain, from East Berlin to Vladivostok. It contributed to world Catholicism through development of the philosophical school of Lublin Thomism and the election of one of its professors — Karol Wojtyla — the future Pope, now St. John Paul II. photo courtesy of John M. Grondelski

The 2023 edition of “Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry” is now in print, and this year’s cover features the work of Caldwell University studio arts major Benjamin Fernandez. The piece that Fernandez photographed is called “Awaken.”

“I am so pleased to be able to feature cover art this year by a Caldwell student. As a junior, Ben has produced exceptional work that is certainly of professional quality, both in concept and craft,” said Mary Ann. B. Miller, professor of English and founding Editor-in-Chief of Presence.

This year’s featured translation section contains a series of poems by six Ukrainian poets, four of which are contemporary poets writing in the throes of the Russian attacks on their country.

Fernandez said he was honored to share his artwork on the cover of Presence to accompany the poets whose work is fea-

tured in the journal. “I hope to shed light on the continued plight of the Ukrainian people, and the strength and resilience of their human spirit, in the hope that they can survive, overcome and triumph over their adversity and struggle.”

“Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry” is an independent, international, print venue for publication of poetry written by authors whose work is informed by the Catholic faith. Each annual issue contains new poems and translations, interviews, book reviews and essays.

Caldwell students are engaged in the work of the Journal every fall semester by taking the Journal Editing class with Miller. They read submissions to the annual publication and write book reviews of some of the individual collections of poems being reviewed by professional reviewers in that year’s issue.

Director Guy Ritchie is best known for his snappy (but often morally questionable) crime films as well as for his unrestrainedly bare-knuckled adaptations of Sherlock Holmes lore. The helmer adopts a graver tone, however, in crafting the tense war drama “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” (MGM).

This time out, the ethics underlying the script Ritchie co-wrote with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies are generally impeccable. Yet the realisticfeeling, albeit not fact-based, adventures the screenplay chronicles are not for the fainthearted — nor for those who object to soldierly swearing.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays U.S. Army Master Sgt. John Kinley. Amid the rigors of the conflict in Afghanistan, Kinley’s unit loses its Afghan interpreter and Kinley selects a reserved local man named Ahmed (Dar Salim) as his replacement.

Although Kinley initially harbors doubts about Ahmed, the translator soon demonstrates his deep knowledge of his native country’s culture and inner workings, as well as an ability to read people that proves invaluable. As a result, the two gradually bond.

When an ambush far away from their base subsequently leaves Kinley badly wounded, his life depends on the depth of Ahmed’s friendship and dedication. To reach safety, Ahmed will have to undertake an arduous, perilous journey through a mountainous landscape controlled by the Taliban, dragging the now-helpless Kinley behind him on an improvised wooden sled.

Ritchie turns out a high-quality production, Gyllenhaal has moments of impressive intensity while Salim’s Ahmed keeps

his cards convincingly close to his chest.

In lieu of the window dressings of rah-rah heroism, we’re shown the gritty determination, self-sacrifice and endurance sometimes required to demonstrate genuine courage. Additionally, later plot developments highlight the reciprocal demands of an honorable relationship formed in the crucible of trying circumstances.

An admirable tale of understated derring-do, the movie nonetheless comes accompanied by a surfeit of F-words and some bloody interludes that mark it as fit for mature viewers only. Still, grown-ups

will likely emerge appreciative of the hard-won values Ritchie and his collaborators celebrate in this satisfying fictional riff on a tragically frustrating real-life war.

The film contains much combat violence with some gore, disturbing images, a narcotics theme, vague sexual humor, at least one profanity, pervasive rough language and occasional crude and crass talk. The OSV News classification is AIII — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

OSV

Ice hockey team at Saint Joseph High School helps raise $21,185 for 9/11-related charity

Continued from page 29

Port Authority Police Department and Edison Fire Department game in the fall, followed by a Falcons Alumni Team taking on the New Jersey State Police and New Jersey Devils Alumni. The final game took place in early February when the Saint Joe’s varsity squad took on the Xavier High School Knights, who come from a Manhattan prep school that sits less than three miles from the World Trade Center.

“I was proud of what we did because what we were able to do was mobilize a lot of people — people that I knew, people that I didn’t know, people that the kids and the school know,” Carter said. “It caused people to reflect and think about what happened on September 11, 2001. It gave us a great learning opportunity, where 9/11 is a page in a book for them. This fundraiser brought it to life.”

On April 26, Carter took the hockey

team and their families on an excursion, reminiscent of the one that many people took for the final time on September 11, 2001.

With views of Lower Manhattan and the Freedom Tower in the background as the bus drove towards the Holland Tunnel, Carter reminded his team of the historical context of their bus ride and how the day will be filled with many emotions.

“On that day, we went into Manhattan to the World Trade Center by bus,” Carter said. “We sat in traffic. We were late for when we were supposed to get there. So much of that correlates to September 11, 2001. I think the message was, ‘You took the path that so many people took that day that never came back.’ That was a moment where they could look at that, think about that, reflect on that and start to understand the moment in time that it was.”

Once the bus arrived at the World

Trade Center, the team presented a check to John Martorano, a representative of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Martorano spent his career as a New York City firefighter and was a part of the 9/11 rescue team before retiring and becoming a volunteer for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Following the check presentation and a tour around the grounds, the team visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum, where they experienced recollections of the events that occurred in New York City, Washington D.C. and Stonycreek, Pa.

As Carter watched his team take in the sights and sounds of the museum, he couldn’t help but think about the lifelong impact this fundraiser will have on his program.

“We have a better program when we have better people,” Carter said. “I think that this exercise, this fundraiser made everybody involved, everybody that

donated a better person. It caused them to think about something so tragic and it was a great lesson for them. It made all of us better people, therefore we have a better program because of it.”

Saint Joseph High School is an independent, all-boys Catholic college preparatory school operated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, who have been active in American education since their arrival from Lyon, France, in 1847, according to its website.

From 1901 to 1961, Saint Joseph served as a center for training and educating brothers prior to their apostolate. The school opened in September 1961 as a high school open to the public. The main school building was dedicated in the spring of 1963. The staff is comprised of lay and religious teachers.

LeCras is director, Communications and Marketing, Saint Joseph High School, Metuchen

Bishop celebrates Nurses Week at Mass at Saint Peter’s Hospital

Nurses Week is observed nationally in May in honor of Florence Nightingale’s birthday. The nurses of Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick celebrated Nurses Week on May 2 at a Mass celebrated by Bishop James F. Checchio.

At right St. Peter’s University Hospital nurses gathered to celebrate Nurses Week at a Mass in the hospital’s chapel.

Below at left, Linda Carroll, MSN, RN, RN-BC, vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer at Saint Peter’s Healthcare System and Roseann DiBrienza, MS, RN, NE-BC, director of Perioperative Services at Saint Peter’s University Hospital were among the attendees at the Mass Bishop Checchio, Bishop National Nurses Week.

Below right, Bishop Checchio distributes communion during the Mass he celebrated in honor of Nurses Week.

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MOUNT ST. MARY HOUSE OF PRAYER

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The center offers an atmosphere of silence, solitude and space for those seeking to develop and deepen their relationship with God, others and the world we live in. We have day and weekend programs throughout the year. Also available: Spiritual Direction, 19th Annotation of the Spiritual Exercises. Please check out our website for more information or email smpdemek@scceast.org.

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QHow do we reconcile the story of Adam and Eve and original sin with evolution? (Schuylerville,

QA friend is in a relationship where his fiancée won’t sign a prenuptial agreement because she thinks it would make the marriage is invalid. It could be grounds for annulment. “For richer and for poorer” etc. What is the canonical opinion here?

(Sydney, Australia)

Although we often refer to the Bible as one book, it’s a library of different books. And while all sacred Scripture is the inspired word of God, the human drafters of the various books within the Bible were writing at different times, for different reasons and in different literary genres. Within the Bible, we have books which are plainly intended as eyewitness historical accounts (e.g., the Gospel of John); along with other works which were obviously meant as symbolic allegories (e.g., Revelation). Likewise, we have works that spell out practical laws (Leviticus) along with sacred poetry (Psalms).

To draw a comparison with secular literature, it would be unreasonable to criticize a cookbook for not having much of a plot, and it would be silly to say that a fantasy novel was “wrong” because it didn’t teach you how to do your taxes or fix a leaky faucet. We understand that different kinds of books have different purposes, and that no one kind of book can meet every need. Just so, we could describe the beginning of the Book of Genesis as a sort of “theological history,” because it tells us, in narrative form, some real and important things about the nature of God and his relationship to creation. Namely, from Genesis we know that God created everything out of nothing in an act of pure will; that he considers his creation to be good; that God wished to create humanity in his own image and likeness — meaning that humans have free will — and that the first humans abused this power of free will to turn away from God.

Significantly, from the creation story we learn that God did not actively desire humanity to experience suffering or death, but rather that this fundamental disorder in the universe came about because of a primordial human choice.

Conversely, the creation story in Genesis is not the equivalent of a textbook in geology, physics or biology. The creation story doesn’t try to concern itself with details such as the wavelength of the first light created, or where exactly the first plants and animals would fit into our modern biological classification sys-

tems. We don’t even know exactly how long each of the first seven “days” were in Genesis, since the term “day” in this context is used in a clearly poetic sense -- that is, the author of Genesis couldn’t have intended to speak of “days” in literal astronomical terms, since the sun itself was only created on the fourth “day.”

(Gen 1:14-19)

Still, it is legitimate for us to be curious and ask questions about how God’s process of creation manifested itself concretely in the physical world. That type of scientific inquiry, however, proposes the answers to different kinds of questions than what the Book of Genesis seeks to address — though it is interesting that even Genesis seems to allude to a certain evolutionary process of sorts, with God creating simpler life forms before the more complex ones, and with humanity being the capstone of creation.

As St. John Paul II writes at the very start of his 1998 encyclical letter, “Fides et Ratio”: “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth.”

AWhen we speak about a prenuptial agreement, or a “prenup,” generally we’re talking about a secular civil law agreement made prior to a marriage one that details how the individual spouses’ resources are to be shared or not shared. Although laws can vary slightly within the United States, for the most part the presumption is that the spouses combine their resources upon marrying meaning -- if the parties were to divorce -- one spouse might be legally entitled to property that originally belonged entirely to the other.

Since as Catholics we believe that marriage is for life, obviously the church does not recommend having a prenuptial agreement, which seems like a pre-plan for an eventual divorce.

However, by itself a prenuptial agreement is not grounds for a declaration of nullity from a church marriage tribunal and having a prenuptial agreement does not automatically make a marriage invalid. In fact, there can be some entirely legitimate reasons why a couple might have a prenuptial agreement. For example, if an older widowed couple marries, they might have a prenuptial agreement in place to ensure that their respective children receive their proper inheritances. A prenuptial agreement might also be helpful in clarifying exactly who owns what in a multi-generational family farm or business, especially one in which multiple siblings have a stake.

Still, if a divorced couple with a prenuptial agreement were to present their case before a diocesan marriage tribunal, the exact terms and circumstances of the agreement can often be of great interest to the tribunal judges. Even if a prenuptial agreement is not a direct cause of nullity, it can be a “symptom” of a larger (and invalidating) problem within the union.

An example is the ground of partial simulation “contra bonum sacramenti,” often translated into English as “against the good of permanence.” This describes a situation where one of the spouses, even if they outwardly promised a lifelong marital commitment at the altar, always intended to allow themselves the possibility of leaving the union. (See

can.1101, 1) Similarly, but less commonly, one or both spouses might have been genuinely mistaken about the fundamental nature of marriage as a permanent union, in such a way that they never intended to enter into an unbreakable life-long bond. (can. 1099) A prenuptial agreement which was clearly intended to facilitate an easy civil divorce could be a convincing piece of supporting evidence for grounds such as these.

Additionally, it could also happen that someone might attempt to marry in a contingent way, for instance by saying: “I will marry you, but for only as long as you remain fit and attractive” or, “I will only consider myself married to you if we are able to have a big family.” In canon law, this is called “marriage subject to a future condition,” and such attempted marriages are always invalid. (can. 1102, 1) If the future condition in question was spelled out in a civil prenuptial agreement, this would indeed be a very strong sign of the nullity of the marriage.

Ultimately, just because something doesn’t automatically make a potential marriage invalid doesn’t mean it’s the best thing for fostering a healthy marital relationship. If one party is proposing a prenuptial agreement and the other is uncomfortable with this, it’s important to have a pastoral conversation about everyone’s feelings, expectations and intentions.As the catechism puts it, referencing St. Ambrose: “As Eve was formed from the sleeping Adam’s side, so the church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross.” (ccc 766)

DIOCESAN EVENTS

NJ Catholic Youth Rally at Six Flags Great Adventure, 9 a.m to 8 p.m. The NJ Catholic Youth Rally is a day-long event that gathers teens from across the state of New Jersey for a day of fun, fellowship, Mass, and more held at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J. The day starts with a dynamic opening ceremony hosted by the Diocese of Metuchen. Teens then get the day to enjoy the park and all the rides. The day concludes in the Batman Stunt Arena with a Mass. Open to all Jr. High, High School & Young Adult Ministry, Scouting Parish/School Athletic Programs, and families! For more information and to register, visit: https://www.diometuchen.org/youth-rally

Life-Giving Wounds Retreat for Adult Children of Divorce or Separation, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Shrine of St. Joseph, Stirling. This retreat is a unique opportunity for young adults (18+) and adults with divorced or separated parents to reflect intentionally on the wounds caused by their family’s breakdown, together with others who know this pain and are knowledgeable, compassionate retreat leaders. General Admission is $75, Student Admission is $25. To register visit: www. diometuchen.org/familylife. If you have any questions, please contact: cdaverso@diometuchen.org or amarshall@diometuchen.org

Mass-Centered Catechesis – Deidre Nemeth will present a workshop for Parish Catechetical Leaders on how to design and orchestrate a Mass and family-centered catechetical program. She will discuss bringing families to Mass, family faith sessions, and how to create 30-minute class sessions and education/community-building opportunities for adults. Part A will be held, June 6 and Part B on June 13. The workshops are different. Each will be held, 10 to 11:30 a.m. To register and for more information, RSVP to Anna by Friday, May 26 at adkallini@diometuchen.org or send your questions to cmascola@diometuchen.org

Hispanic Pilgrimage, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. All are welcome to participate in the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confessions, prayer of the Rosary and Angelus, and closing Mass at the Blue Army Shrine, Washington, NJ. The event is free. No prior registration is required. Please bring your lunch, the Shrine does not have a cafeteria service. For more information, please contact us at Lescobar@diometuchen.org

PCL Basic Certification and Appreciation Event. 7 to 8:30 p.m., St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway. The evening will include Mass, a certification ceremony, and light refreshments.

Mass & Rally for Life in Trenton. To mark the first anniversary of the Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade, there will be a Mass & Rally for Life in Trenton. There will be a bus going from the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center to the event. Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. in St. Mary the Assumption in Trenton. The Rally will begin at 11 a.m. at the Statehouse. For more information call Angela at 732-562-1543 or email jruggiero@diometuchen.org or amarshall@diometuchen.org.

DIOCESAN PROGRAMS

Eucharistic Adorers Wanted

Now that the pandemic is over, Bishop Checchio would like to offer Eucharistic adoration at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Monday through Friday, from 9:00-11:45 a.m. As St. Pope John Paul II noted. “The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic adoration.” Anyone who is interested in signing up should contact Angela Marshall at amarshall@diometuchen.org

Catechism in a Year for Women This virtual Women’s Group will meet each week on Sundays at 2:30 p.m. on Zoom for discussion of Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “Catechism in a Year” podcast which began on January 8. For details, contact Cristina at cdaverso@diometuchen.org

“The Chosen” Study Series

All young adult engaged and married couples are invited to join in a virtual study series based on the hit series, “The Chosen.” A different episode will be discussed each meeting and virtual watch parties will be planned sporadically. Meetings take place every other Monday evening at 7 p.m. on Zoom. For details or to join, please contact Cristina D’Averso-Collins at cdaverso@diometuchen.org.

Blue Rosary Guild

The Office of Family Life is pleased to announce the

creation of the Blue Rosary Guild. The purpose of the Guild is for community members of all ages to make pocket Rosaries for law enforcement officers, providing them with support and spiritual strength and promoting devotion to the Rosary among all the faithful. All materials and instructions will be provided and a Zoom virtual tutorial will also be scheduled. Anyone interested should contact Cristina D’Averso-Collins, Director of the Office of Family Life at cdaverso@ diometuchen.org.

AROUND THE DIOCESE Healing Retreat

June 3, 9 a.m. – Shrine of St. Joseph, Stirling. LifeGiving Wounds daylong retreat is a unique opportunity for young adults (18 and over) and adults with divorced or separated parents to reflect intentionally on the wounds caused by their family’s breakdown, together with others who know this pain and are knowledgeable, compassionate retreat leaders. General admission is $75, student admission is $25. To register visit www.diometuchen.org/familylife. For questions, contact cdaverso@diometuchen.org or amarshall@diometuchen.org

Eucharistic Revival

June 11, 3 p.m. – Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Piscataway will officially launch the National Eucharistic

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, seeks an Editor-in-Chief to assist with the production of the monthly periodical. The ideal candidate will be responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating the conception, design, production, and distribution of The Catholic Spirit. A background in communications and public relations is preferred. Interested candidates should forward their resume to hr@diometuchen.org.

ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVE

The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, seeks an Advertising Sales Representative to assist with the sale of advertising space. The ideal candidate will be responsible for initiating, developing, and closing sales of print media advertising in The Catholic Spirit by creating and building effective client relationships with area businesses and organizations. Interested candidates should forward their resume to hr@diometuchen.org.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - GRAPHIC DESIGNER

The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, seeks a Graphic Designer to assist with the layout and design of its publication. The ideal candidate will have Adobe InDesign and Photoshop experience in a PC environment, be familiar with all aspects of electronic publishing, be well-organized and reliable, and have a proven track record of meeting deadlines. Interested candidates should forward their resume to hr@diometuchen.org.

GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE

One of our Diocesan parishioners is in urgent need of a kidney transplant. If you, (or anyone you know) have “O” blood type you may be able to save a life! The procedure would be performed at St. Barnabas in Livingston with no cost to the donor. All general questions can be answered by the “Living Donor Institute” at rwjbh.org/ldi. If you think you can be an angel on earth, please email KidneydonorNL@gmail.com God bless you!

Revival at the parish level on Sunday, June 11, The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The Procession will begin in front of the church at 3 p.m. Children are invited to participate dressed as angels and saints. Religious banners will be carried by the faithful. The Blessed Sacrament will be carried under our new canopy in our new monstrance throughout the parish neighborhood. Prayers and hymns will echo throughout the streets, inviting those to see Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Light refreshments will be served following the Procession and Benediction on the grounds of the parish.

Fundraiser

June 10, noon -- After a three-year hiatus, Good Shepherd Parish, Hopelawn, will host its Festa di San Antonio in the church hall. The event which ends at 7 p.m., will include Italian food and desserts (eat in/ take out), raffle, activities and games for children and more. Elevator service is available. In addition, a classic car show presented by Raritan Bay Cruisers will be in the church parking lot from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (weather permitting). For information, call (732) 826-4859 or visit goodshepherdpanj.org.

Seminar

June 24, 8:30 a.m. – Paulist Father Ricky Manalo, a composer, theologian and author, will present “The Liturgy of Life” at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Three Bridges. The fee is $45. All people of God are welcome. For information and registration see NPMMetuchen.org.

Camp Week

June 26-30 – St. Matthias School, Somerset. Sixth annual Camp Invention at St. Matthias School! This year’s event includes all-new, hands-on STEM fun. Register students going into kindergarten to sixth grade at invent.org/mylocalcamp until camp starts. Register by May 17 using WONDER15 to save $15. For multiple children, use SIBLOVE30 to save $30 for two siblings and SIBLOVE40 to save $40 for three or more siblings. For questions, e-mail camp director Christine Taylor at ctaylor@stmatthiasnj.org

Crossword Puzzle Answers:

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage connects Catholics across U.S. to 2024 Congress

ST. PAUL, Minn. (OSV News)

-- Thousands of Catholics from across the United States are anticipated to participate in next year’s pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress, part of the U.S. bishops’ three-year National Eucharistic Revival that began in 2021. The pilgrimage has four routes, with one beginning in the north, south, east and west of the country. Pilgrims traveling in the “Eucharistic caravans” on all four routes will begin their journeys with Pentecost weekend celebrations May 17-18, 2024, leaving May 19. They will all converge on Indianapolis July 16, 2024, the day before the five-day Congress opens. The pilgrimage is an opportunity for prayer and evangelization, as well as a way to engage Catholics unable to attend the Congress, said Tim Glemkowski, the National Eucharistic Congress’ executive director.

This map shows the four routes of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage to the National Eucharistic Congress in 2024. Pilgrims traveling in “Eucharistic caravans” on all four routes will begin their journeys with Pentecost weekend celebrations May 17-18, 2024, leaving May 19. They will all converge on Indianapolis July 16, 2024, the day before the five-day Congress opens.

(OSV News illustration/courtesy

National Eucharistic Congress)

Carnival Directory

June 6-10

Our Lady of Czestochowa

Feast of St. Anthony

807 Hamilton Blvd., South Plainfield

Tue.–Thu. 5-10 pm • Fri. 5-11 pm • Sat. 1-11 pm

Rides, games, prizes, traditional homemade food, beverages, fun! 908-756-1333

June 10

Good Shepherd Parish

Fiesta Di San Antonio

625 Florida Grove Road, Hopelawn, NJ 08861

Msgr. Gambino Hall, noon to 7 pm.

Italian food & desserts, activities, games for kids. Classic car show, church parking lot, 11:30 am - 3:30 pm weather permitting. 732-826-4859 • goodshepherdpanj.org

June 9-10-11

Saint Sharbel Church

Lebanese Festival 2023

526 Easton Avenue, Somerset, NJ

Lebanese food & pastries, live music & dancers, hookah & bar, games & crafts, raffles & prizes 732-828-2055 • visit us @saintsharbelnj.org

June 21-25

Immaculate Conception Church

20th Annual Parish Festival

316 Old Allerton Road, Annandale NJ 08801 Parish Grounds

Rides, Carnival Games, Nightly Entertainment, Tricky Tray, Assorted Foods, … 908-735-7319 icfestival.org

July 11-15

St. John Vianney

50th Annual Fair!

420 Inman Avenue, Colonia, NJ 07067, 6-11 pm

Food prepared by Tony’s Sausage

Major carnival rides, Fun kiddie rides

Wristbands every night

Summer splash drawing 7/15 at 11pm 732-754-0150

To advertise your carnival, call Tiffany at (732) 243-4581

Nightly Entertainment

Fireworks Night–June 24

(Rain date June 25)

Rides, Games, Tricky Tray, Raffles

Food Tent Open Rain or Shine

Information: icfestival.org

Sponsored by Immaculate Conception Parish