In what we call a “Three Year Cycle” of Gospel Readings for Sunday Mass, the Church reads from Matthew’s Gospel in “Year A,” from Mark in Year B, and from Luke in Year C. The Gospel of John gets “mixed in” at different times, Feasts, and Seasons during that Three Year Cycle.
During my last weeks in the seminary, in 1997, shortly before ordination to the priesthood, the priest who was the Dean in charge of pastoral formation had a “final conference” with those of us who were about to be ordained. I remember that he gave us three practical suggestions so that we might be “good parish priests.”
In the past 12 months, personally, I have been very blessed. Last August, I was able to visit Fatima for the first time and participate in World Youth Day with Pope Francis (and 500,000 of our “closest friends”). This past May, thanks to the generosity of the Order of Malta, I was able to visit Lourdes for the first time.
There are times when writing, like life, can feel like a journey. I would like to invite you to join me in recalling the brief, but informative journey that started with my hope to write a column on recent developments in the cause of canonization of two “Blesseds” who, God willing, will soon be officially named (canonized) as saints.
I share the “heading” and first lines of the “Bull of Indication” that our Holy Father, Pope Francis, wrote to the whole Church and was published in Rome this past May 9, the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In his “bull of indiction” for the Jubilee Year of 2025, entitled SPES NON CONFUNDIT or “Hope does not disappoint,” Pope Francis announces the theme and hopes for the Jubilee Year. Pope Francis speaks of the importance of seeing and discovering “Signs of Hope” in the “signs of the times,” telling us: “In addition to finding hope in God’s grace, we are also called to discover hope in the signs of the times that the Lord gives us …” (#7) Pope Francis goes on to mention many circumstances, places, and groups of people where and in whom we can find “signs of hope.”
Have you ever had the experience of wanting to read a book, knowing that it would most likely be a good idea to pick up the book, but something always seemed to “get in the way”? If you have had that experience, I hope you have also had the experience of FINALLY getting around to finding the time to not only get started but also continue and have the great feeling that it was not too late, that the book was even better than you expected.
Seven students from Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta discuss producing their podcast, technology and the impact of artificial intelligence, leading spiritual retreats, and their student-led Bible study.
Passaic County dedicated a Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall on May 18 on the grounds of the Public Safety Academy in Wayne Township. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Father J. Patrick Ryan, a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, participated in the ceremony.
A concelebrated Mass with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, Auxiliary Bishop Francisco Javier Martinez Castillo of the Archdiocese of Puebla de los Angeles in Mexico, and several priests was held on May 15 in Holy Trinity Church in Passaic.
Students from Catholic schools in the Paterson Diocese gathered for the Diocesan Schools Mass and May Crowning on May 14 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated the Mass, attended by students from schools in Passaic, Morris, and Sussex counties.
More than 1,000 youth attended the N.J. Catholic Youth Rally at Six Flags Great Adventure with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney as the main celebrant of Mass on May 19. The Mass marked the Feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles. Several priests from around the Diocese of Paterson concelebrated the Mass.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will ordain Deacon Sebastián Muñoz Chavarría, a seminarian, to the priesthood of the Paterson Diocese, during a Mass on June 1 at 10 a.m. in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson.
The recent announcement of the probable canonization of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati during the upcoming Jubilee Year is tangible proof that the Lord continues to raise men and women that underscore the loftiness of our Christian vocation while at the same time providing concrete examples of heroic virtue we can imitate—each within our own vocation and state in life—during our own time.
In an episode of his Word on Fire Podcast, released on Feb. 19, 2024, with the title “Understanding the Mental Health Crisis,” Bishop Robert Barron recalls his experience of making a presentation at the November 2023 meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Church in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township hosted adoration for young adults on May 9. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated the adoration.
The community of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Paterson on May 12 welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney who celebrated Mass in the church. There, he administered the sacrament of confirmation to 15 parish youths.
About 1,600 Spanish-speaking Catholics of the Paterson Diocese felt their hearts filled with inspiration and spiritual renewal during the celebration of the Pentecost Vigil on May 11 in the National Guard Armory in Morristown.
About 200 Hispanic Catholics of St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown recently responded to Pope Francis’ call to maintain a spirit of synodality within faith communities by participating in “First Encuentro of Prayer, Formation and Listening.”
