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In place of my column this week, I invite you to take the time to prayerfully read the Homily (below) given by Bishop David O’Connell at the Mass for Life at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in Trenton. The Mass preceded the first-ever statewide Rally and March for Life this past Thursday, Sept. 26 at our State Capitol.

Most Catholics are aware that, each year, the Church dedicates October as the “Month of the Holy Rosary.” One of the reasons that October is dedicated to the Rosary has to do with the Feast that we celebrate on Oct. 7.

“Historic,” I like the word, but I also believe that it can be a very challenging word. I was happy to see it used in the headline of an article on the front page of last week’s Beacon.

In late August, I received a note, quoted above, from a mother, asking me to help in any way I could to request prayers and let people know that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

I have mentioned before that I have become a “fan” (admirer) of Bishop Michael Burbidge, bishop of the Diocese of Arlington, Va. I am also a fan and faithful listener of his “Walk Humbly” podcast. As a priest and bishop, I am grateful for the example and experience that Bishop Burbidge shares, especially as I listen to his podcasts.

Ten months ago, on Oct. 6, 2023, I celebrated a Mass for our Catholic School Teachers and gave them each a small book on the life of Blessed (soon to be Saint) Carlo Acutis. After the Mass, a teacher from Pope John High School suggested that I read a book called, “Priest and Beggar: The Heroic Life of Venerable Aloysius Schwarz” by Kevin Wells.

Even though the 2024 Paris Olympics began on a “sour note,” with an offensive and disrespectful depiction of the Last Supper, for which the organizers gave a less than satisfying apology, there is still something impressive, inspiring, and encouraging in the opportunity to see the best athletes from throughout the world coming together to compete with one another.

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.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated a Commencement Mass for graduates of St. Elizabeth University on May 16 in Morristown in Holy Family Chapel.

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.