News - August 2021 RSS Feed

Gabrianna Boomer, 26, stands alone at a microphone and belts out the Christian ballad, “The Prayer,” on a warm Aug. 13 night in front of St. Therese Church in Succasunna. Performing it a cappella, she stirs the hearts of the 40 or so people in front of her, sometimes singing it loud like a rocker and other times soft like a prayer — an intention to God for the success of this charity event, called the Talent Show of Hope.

Earlier this year, a homeowner reached out for help to spruce up the outside of her house in Passaic County — trimming trees, blowing fallen leaves, and pulling weeds. A recent widow, she was distraught over losing her husband suddenly and over dealing with a large house and financial problems. Responding to the woman’s request, an eight-member crew of the Good Works Gang, a relatively new ministry at St. Mary Parish in Pompton Lakes, showed up at her door one day in July.

On one recent day, Ivan Torres wanted another hug after he already had received one from his wife of almost 38 years, Diana Sanchez. So he asked her. Diana replied, “I already gave you one.” “I guess we need another retreat,” Ivan told Diana in response. Both natives of Puerto Rico, they belong to St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany and have two grown children, a grandchild, and another grandchild on the way. “After that, Diana lovingly gave me a hug,” Ivan said with a laugh.

When Gina, a resident of Catholic Charities’ Depart­ment for Disabilities’ (DPD) Colum­bus House, visited St. Joseph Church in West Milford last week, she felt like she was on an exciting spiritual adventure as she toured the grounds of the Upper Passaic County church. She has been learning about the saint for the past several months to mark the Year of St. Joseph.

Pope Francis, along with six cardinals and archbishops from North, South, and Central America, worked in collaboration with the Ad Council to produce a public service announcement (PSA) promoting COVID-19 vaccines. The announcement is the first Ad Council campaign designed for a global audience, and was distributed in English, Spanish, and Portuguese last week.

One of the arguments hurled at the pro-life community by those who are pro-abortion, including many politicians, is that the pro-life community is only pro-birth and does not provide care for the mother and her child afterward. Although nothing could be further from the truth, a congressman from Nebraska is seeking to not only bring more visibility to the countless organizations which provide care for women experiencing crisis pregnancies through birth and beyond, but also to emulate that care at the federal level and enshrine it into law.

Three Sisters of Christian Charity made their perpetual vows at Mallinckrodt Convent in Mendham, motherhouse of the Sisters of Christian Charity, before Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney Aug. 15, on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The three sisters who made final vows are Sister Mathilde De Lucy, Sister Bridget Harakal, and Sister Clara Kim. Both Sister Mathilde and Sister Bridget serve at St. Francis Cathedral School in Metuchen and Sister Clara serves at St. Joseph Rehabilitation Center in Cedar Grove.

On the feast of Corpus Christi, June 3, the Diocese kicked off its food drive to benefit the food pantries of Catholic Charities in Passaic, Morris, and Sussex counties to ensure that those with food insecurity did not go hungry. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the food drive was held virtually using YouGiveGoods and it concluded on Aug. 3.

While the fight to protect unborn babies in the womb continues, pro-life Americans will take a day to remember the millions of babies who have never had a chance to be born and grow up in God’s image and likeness. On Sept. 18, the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children will be observed with outdoor memorial services in the Diocese and all across the country. Parishes and pro-life groups will be hosting these events, many at memorial sites on parish grounds and parish cemeteries. Last year, 196 memorial services were held to ensure that these babies will never be forgotten.

Heartbreaking scenes of people trying to flee Afghanistan at Kabul Airport on Aug. 15 after the Taliban took control of the country stayed with the dignitaries and Benedictine monks as they gathered at St. Paul’s Abbey here the next day to honor a Korean War hero who led the rescue of 14,005 Korean refugees: their own Bene­dictine Brother Marinus LaRue. The chaotic events in Afghanis­tan reminded the priests, brothers, and lay people of the Diocese and beyond at St. Paul’s on Aug. 16 — including Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney — of the heroism of Brother Marinus during the Korean War.

The U.S. bishops have issued a strong rebuke to the Biden administration for dropping a conscience rights lawsuit that is a clear violation of religious liberty. On July 30, the Justice Department quietly moved to dismiss its lawsuit against a Vermont hospital, which had allegedly coerced a nurse into helping with an abortion in 2017. When news of this surfaced, the U.S. bishops’ conference issued a statement that the Justice Department was “acting in dereliction of its duty.”

For some time (many months), I had two dates on my calendar: on Thursday, Aug. 5 and Sunday, Aug. 15, I was scheduled to celebrate Masses with communities of religious sisters, during which some sisters would make perpetual (final) vows. I was scheduled to be with the Salesian Sisters — Daughters of Mary Help of Christians at St. Anthony Parish in Hawthorne on Aug. 5 and with the Sisters of Christian Charity at their Motherhouse in Mendham on Aug. 15. There did not seem to be a “connection” at the time, when toward the end of June, I learned that Father Gene Romano was not doing well. I was able to visit him in St. Joseph’s Home for the Elderly in Totowa on July 12 and was comforted to see the care and attention he was receiving from the Little Sisters of the Poor and their chaplain, Father Sean McDonnell.

Four religious sisters made their perpetual profession of vows as Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco — Daughters of Mary Help of Christians — on Aug. 5. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant of the Mass that took place in St. Anthony Church in Hawthorne. The sisters who made their final vows were Sister Hae-Jin Lim, Sister Christina Chong, Sister Myriam Meus, and Sister Lillian Foxx.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Joseph Parish in West Milford Aug. 8. During the Bishop’s visit, a coronation of statues of the Holy Family was held as part of the celebration of the Year of St. Joseph.

It was a great day to golf and give back to those who gave their all while working on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic — local hospital and nursing home chaplains. The 26th Annual Bishop DiMarzio Golf Classic, held July 22 at North Hills Country Club in Manhasset, L.I., raised money to support the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Hospital and Healthcare Chaplaincy Program. The diocesan program provides two dozen chaplains to hospitals and nursing homes located throughout Brooklyn and Queens.

Once again, Preston Dibble, diocesan director of music and the Diocesan Choir since 2013, has stepped onto a larger stage as an active member of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM). This time, he accepted a newly created position: chairperson of national programs and certification forum — the result of a recent total overhaul of the structure of NPM’s volunteer leadership.

The Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities recently awarded a grant of $20,130 to the Department of Persons with Disabilities (DPD), which was used to purchase 15 automated external defibrillators (AED) and replacement pads for all of its programs. Joanna Miller, executive director of DPD, an agency of diocesan Catholic Charities, said, “We are so grateful to be able to purchase these life-saving medical devices. They have been on our wish list for a number of years and through the generous support of the Raskob Foundation, we will be able to provide the best possible care to our clients and staff until EMS arrives."

Passionate about catechesis, one diocesan priest has had a hand in developing the Spanish part of an online video series that gives lay parish religious educators the skills and formation they need in their roles as “front-line apostles,” who build up the Church and “go and make disciples,” as Christ commands. That priest, Father Yojaneider Garcia, has helped create the Spanish portion of “Franciscan at Home,” an ongoing video series, developed by the Catechetical Institute (CI) of Franciscan Univer­sity of Steubenville, Ohio.

On Aug. 4, the Feast of St. John Vianney, the patron of parish priests, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney observed the occasion fittingly at St. John Vianney Parish in Stockholm where he celebrated a feast day Mass for the parish’s patron. It was the Bishop’s first pastoral visit to the parish in Sussex County. St. John Vianney, a French priest, is known for his priestly and pastoral work in his parish in Ars, France during the 1800s.

If there is an organization that does more charitable works than the Knights of Columbus do, it is not on my radar. In the past year, the Knights have provided more than $150 million in donations and more than 47 million hours of hands-on volunteer service. Who can top that? And for as much as they do, the Knights have been challenged to do even more for the Church and those they serve in their communities by Patrick Kelly, Supreme Knight.