News - November 2016 RSS Feed

Pope Francis’ last catechesis before the Year of Mercy concluded this past Sunday, focused on reminding Catholics to practice what they preach. The Spiritual Works of Mercy — especially teaching the faith and putting up with the annoyances of others — are very important, Pope Francis said, but first we must examine our own conscience to see if we are really practicing the things that we preach to others.

While the Holy Doors have now closed for the Year of Mercy in churches around the world, God’s heart will continuously remain open for anyone who seeks his love and mercy. The diocesan school community celebrated God’s love and mercy at the close of the Jubilee Year of Mercy Nov. 18 at a Mass celebrated by Bishop Serratelli in St. Philip the Apostle Church in Clifton.

It was a little bit like the pilgrimage in Fatima, Portugal but closer to home, as thousands of the faithful visited neighboring parishes in the Paterson Diocese to pay homage to the United Nations International Statue of Our Lady of Fatima during the week of Nov. 14-20.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Holy Rosary Parish in Passaic, home of the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II, where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Nov. 19.

How to you think God’s voice might sound? Lisa M. Hendey likes to imagine that the Almighty has an Irish accent. “It [the Brogue] reminds me of our pastor, Msgr. Michael Collins, when I was growing up [in California]. His was the first voice I heard proclaim the Word of God. He also taught me about unconditional love,” said Hendey, founder and editor of the website CatholicMom.org, who visited St. Paul Inside the Walls here on Oct. 12 to engage in a faith-filled public conversation as part of the evangelization center’s “Speaking of Faith” series. “God’s voice also might sound like my father or my husband, Greg.”

Society has become increasingly “unmoored from God’s truth” with its widespread support of issues such as abortion, “gay marriage” and the “right” of people to identify with the gender of their choosing. So more than ever, Catholic lawyers — along with the rest of the faithful — need to stay connected to that Divine Truth and proclaim it not only in their personal lives, but also in their professional lives as officers of the court.

Bishop Serratelli celebrated the annual Diocesan Respect Life Mass on Nov. 19 at St. Margaret of Scotland Church here, where he encouraged Catholics to follow the example of Mother Teresa, who exercised “unflinching courage” in defending the dignity of all human life, even in the face of strong political opposition.

Pope Francis’ last catechesis before the Year of Mercy concluded this past Sunday, focused on reminding Catholics to practice what they preach. The Spiritual Works of Mercy — especially teaching the faith and putting up with the annoyances of others — are very important, Pope Francis said, but first we must examine our own conscience to see if we are really practicing the things that we preach to others.

For every man who is called to the priesthood, the journey to answer his call to a priestly vocation is different. A group of young men, mostly high school students, learned about these different journeys to the priesthood at “Pizza Night with the Bishop,” a vocations-awareness event sponsored by the Diocesan Vocations Office at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne Nov. 10.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Our Lady of the Valley (OLV) Parish in Wayne Nov. 5. During his visit, he celebrated the vigil Mass for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, in a small room next to Straight and Narrow’s main hall, Father Charles Waller, director of pastoral care, celebrates Mass for the clients and employees, who would like to join together at the Eucharistic table.

Last week, 75 priests and deacons of the Paterson Diocese were reminded to take time in preparing homilies that not only “teach, delight and move” the faithful, but also ultimately “bring them to the Lord.”

The two Holy Doors that Bishop Serratelli designated for the Diocese — one at St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Morristown and the other at Holy Rosary Church/the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II in Passaic — closed this past weekend — a week ahead of the conclusion of the universal Church’s observance of the Jubilee Year of Mercy on Sunday, Nov. 20, the Feast of Christ the King.

After a contentious election cycle, Americans cast their ballots and made clear their decision on the person they wanted to be the next President of the United States. The choice made by voters was not so much of one political party over the other — but one for life.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish here where he celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving honoring the parish’s Benedictine roots.

The universal Church’s celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy officially closes Nov. 20, but Jesus always keeps his “door of forgiveness” wide open for us, as long as we are open to receive it. But in return, Christ commissions us to share that mercy with other people — a mission that remains at the very heart of the Church.

Bishop Serratelli has set Oct. 21, 2017 as the Paterson Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Last time, in October 2014, more than 2,400 pilgrims journeyed from around the Diocese to Washington in more than 50 buses to participate in a number of spiritual activities. The highly successful day included the Diocesan Mass with Bishop Serratelli as the main celebrant, with nearly 40 priests as concelebrants; reconciliation; talks at different saint shrines; the Rosary, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, Catholics find inspiration and are led closer to Jesus. During the week of Nov. 14-20, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese will have a special opportunity to spend time with Our Lady at the 14 parishes that will host the United Nations International Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. The visit will conclude the Diocesan celebration of the Year of Mercy as requested by Bishop Serratelli.

At the Catholic Charities annual Caritas Gala held Nov. 5 at the Birchwood Manor in Whippany, a diocesan priest, two couples and the Knights of Columbus were cited for their advocacy, service, inspiration and excellence. Father Edward Lambro, director of development and public relations for diocesan Catholic Charities, served as master of ceremonies for the event.

Bishop Serratelli praised 113 couples from parishes around the diocese who are celebrating their 65th, 60th, 50th and 25th wedding anniversaries this year for their steadfast commitment to traditional marriage. The Bishop served as main celebrant at the annual diocesan Silver and Gold Mass Nov. 6 in St. Peter the Apostle Church in Parsippany.