Shirō Nakagawa had had enough. A young samurai and Catholic in 17th century Japan, he watched as the lord of his region in the south, called a daimyō, cracked down on his growing Christian community — closing churches, expelling missionaries, levying crushing taxes, banning religious practices and images, even torturing and killing people. The tipping point came when a regional tax collector drowned a pregnant woman. Filled with righteous anger, Shirō put on his samurai uniform and clutched his sword, ready to lead what is now known as the Shimabara Rebellion — a failed deadly uprising by these Christians from December 1637 to April 1638.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Mass at the Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary Church in Passaic Oct. 17 to start weeklong celebrations in honor of St. John Paul II, whose feast day is on Friday, Oct. 22. The Shrine of St. John Paul II at Holy Rosary Parish is the Diocese’s shrine to the late pope, who visited Holy Rosary Parish in August 1976 when he was then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. Two years later, he was elected Pope on Oct. 16, 1978.

For many young adults, their college years are a time of searching and figuring out what the future holds. For Lucas Folan, a diocesan seminarian, it was a time when he seriously began to discern a priesthood vocation, which began near the end of his freshman year at Hofstra University in Long Island, N.Y., where he was studying music education.

Catholics should not limit the celebration of St. Joseph to the 365 days that make up the Year of St. Joseph, which concludes on Dec. 8. Rather, the faithful should use this year, which has generated considerably more interest in St. Joseph, to foster their own devotions to him going forward. This would be in part to harness his power as a heavenly intercessor and to gain more inspiration from him in his vocation as a husband of Mary, father of Jesus, and friend to all for all time.

In recognition of their outstanding service to the Church and the world, 91 individuals, couples, and families were honored with the Vivere Christus award by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who presided at the ceremony in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson Oct. 17.

President Joe Biden will have an audience with Pope Francis Oct. 29, the day before the G20 Leaders’ Summit starts in Rome. According to a statement from the White House press office, “They will discuss working together on efforts grounded in respect for fundamental human dignity, including ending the COVID-19 pandemic, tackling the climate crisis, and caring for the poor.”

Have you visited the Shrine of St. Pope John Paul? You may be asking, “Which one?” Do you know that we have a diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II at Holy Rosary Parish in Passaic? On this past Sunday, I had the opportunity to visit the shrine as the parish was celebrating a novena in preparation for the Feast of St. Pope John Paul II on Oct. 22. The Mass was bilingual (English and Polish). My “parts” were all in English, but it was wonderful to see and be with a vibrant parish community and to see and feel the special love and pride that the Polish community has for the saint who was sometimes called the “Polish Pope.” All of us who remember St. Pope John Paul II have come to know that he was truly a gift of the Polish people to the whole Church and the whole world.

As state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions are being eased, Masses at parishes across the Diocese are coming fully back to life. Many of the traditional rituals of Mass are returning, such as choirs and congregations singing hymns, which had been prohibited earlier, and shaking hands at the Sign of Peace, which was replaced with a socially distant wave of the hand, Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Office of Worship, said.