News - March 2021 RSS Feed

Lately, Joelyn Hoferer has been wrestling with an unsettling image: that of the final dash that will sit between her birth and death dates on her tombstone one day. That small dash — to represent a life lived between birth and death — has prompted this parishioner of Holy Family here to ask herself some questions to help put her life and faith in sharper focus. They include, “What am I living for?” and “What or whom am I searching for?” — maybe Jesus?

From now on, Michael Hardy, a married father of nine, ages 9–20, plans to call on “the saint of saints” — St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus — more often, to ask for his guidance on issues, such as marriage, finances and raising his kids. A parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Stirling, Hardy made that commitment as a result of preparing for and then becoming consecrated to St. Joseph, during a special rite as part of morning and evening Masses at his parish.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney presided at the annual Acies of the Legion of Mary March 21 in St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Morristown, attended by members of the Legion of Mary.

Marking St. Patrick’s Day with a feast day Mass, Irish-born priests from around the Diocese celebrated the patron of their homeland at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson March 17. Bishop Kevin Sweeney, whose parents were born in Ireland, was the main celebrant of the Mass.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Bernard Parish in Mount Hope on March 21 and celebrated Mass marking the Fifth Sunday of Lent.

Young people from the parish community of St. Mary Help of Christians in Paterson received the Sacrament of Confirmation admin­is­tered by Bishop Kevin Sweeney March 20, during the vigil Mass marking the Fifth Sunday of Lent at which he was the principal celebrant.

The world today is marked in two ways — life before the pandemic and life after the pan­demic. In March 2020, life forever changed worldwide when the World Health Organization officially labeled the outbreak of COVID­-19 as a pandemic. The Beacon interviewed a range of people in the Paterson Diocese to get different perspectives on how the pandemic has changed so many facets of life in the Diocese. Stories were shared by those who serve in many areas of ministry in the Dio­cese. Each story is different yet at the heart of them all — God’s love and the support of the people — are present.

For the first time, St. Joseph, the quiet earthly father of Jesus, stepped into the spotlight in the Diocese for a day of celebrations that honored him on March 19, his feast day. It concluded that night with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney consecrating the Diocese to St. Joseph’s fatherly care and intercession at a Mass in St. Joseph Church in West Milford.

Earlier this month, President Biden issued yet another one of his executive orders that should concern Catholics and all people of faith. This new executive order could promote gender ideology in public and some private schools while affecting both the privacy of women and the intellectual freedom of children.

On March 25 of most years, nine months before Christmas, we celebrate the liturgical Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the moment when Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and it was announced to her that she was chosen to be the “Mother of God.” We learn of this encounter in Luke’s Gospel (1:26–38). It is also recounted in a beautiful prayer, known as the Angelus, which unfortunately does not seem to be as popular as it was in years (and centuries) gone by.

It has been an exciting journey from writing a song to becoming the online vote winner and now a finalist in a statewide contest for 16-year-old Erin Peters, a parishioner at Holy Family in Florham Park. Her song “They Say to Run” has advanced to the finals of the N.J.-based organization, “Shout Down Drugs,” which partners with Drug Free New Jersey.

In a section of Morristown often known as the “Dublin” neighborhood, Bishop Kevin Sweeney celebrated the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade Mass in Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church March 13. Descendants of the early Irish immigrants to this area more than a century ago and many others who consider themselves Irish by blood or by heart were in attendance.

Parishioners of St. Mark the Evangelist in Long Valley welcomed Bishop Kevin Sweeney who made a pastoral visit to the parish Saturday, March 13. During his visit, the Bishop celebrated the vigil Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Lent. During the Mass, he also administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people of the parish.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Therese Parish in Succasunna on March 14 to celebrate the noon Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, known as “Laetare Sunday.” During his visit, the Bishop blessed the parish’s new rectory after the liturgy.

Within minutes, the strong scent of perfume and cloves filled the air in the auditorium in St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization in Madison on March 13. It reminded the small group of young people, hunched over rows of small glass bottles they were filling in one corner, of the “sacred act” they were performing for the spiritual life of the Paterson Diocese: to help prepare three types of Holy Oils for the upcoming Chrism Mass.

One by one, residents in the city of Paterson rolled up their sleeves to get the COVID-19 vaccine offered at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, which served as a “pop-up” vaccine distribution site during the week of March 8 to 12. More than 2,000 parishioners and those living in the neighboring area were able to get their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. They will receive the second dose during the week after Easter, also at the cathedral.

Amazon continues to be part of “cancel culture” by purging free speech and religious liberty in banning certain books from its online store. The latest example is its removal of scholar Ryan Anderson’s 2018 book, When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment. The book, which had been sold for three years on Amazon, explores the meaning of human embodiment and public policy considerations related to transgender issues.

I have received numerous requests in the past few weeks for guidance and/or a statement on the Equality Act of 2021, also known as H.R. 5, a Bill that was passed by the House of Representatives and apparently will soon be considered by the Senate.

Like so many, Al Hreha feels that this past year has badly beaten him up both mentally and spiritually. A former parishioner of Annunciation Parish here, Hreha said he is tired that people keep getting sick from COVID-19, while the death toll continues to rise. He is tired of safety protocols that make it difficult to see family or dine out. He also sees a broken Church and nation, split by divisive politics, that makes him question his once rock-solid faith — part of a powerful talk he gave on March 6, during a virtual men’s retreat.

Reflecting on one of Jesus’ miracles — the raising of Lazarus, found in the Gospel of John — Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, was the keynote speaker for a Lenten Day of Recollection, sponsored by the Diocesan Commission of Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM) March 6.