Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated two Masses on Feb. 11 — one in English and another bilingual — at St. Mary’s Parish in Pompton Lakes. At the Masses, he administered the sacrament of confirmation to a total of 121 young people of the parish.
The faith community of Our Lady of Victories (OLV) Parish in Paterson celebrated Black History Month with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney during its annual Mass on Feb. 12. Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist of the 10:30 a.m. Mass which featured gospel music led by the choir
The faith community of St. Joseph Parish in Passaic on Feb. 11 welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who celebrated the 5 p.m. Mass. He administered the sacrament of confirmation for 20 young people. Concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Sweeney were Father Dariusz Kaminski, pastor, and Father Adam Wasowski, parochial vicar. Assisting was Deacon Brian Gusciora.
Last Saturday, 128 couples from five different parishes attended a day of prayer retreat for couples in Spanish at St. Margaret of Scotland in Morristown. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was among the different presenters and spent time blessing couples along with Father Duberney Villamizar, the parish pastor.
The gym of the former St. Francis of Assisi School in the Haskell section of Wanaque was filled with smiles and laughter. The lights were dazzling, and the music was right for dancing. The night of Feb. 10 was Night to Shine, an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, an annual worldwide event that centers on God’s love and celebrates the worth of those who are often overlooked.
Solanyi Rodriguez smiles when she recalls the first time she helped a mother save her unborn baby from abortion. It was in April 2021, and Rodriguez, a pro-life sidewalk counselor, struck up a conversation with Juanita in front of a Montclair abortion clinic. Juanita was a mother of two, pregnant with an unwanted third child. With the love of God, Rodriguez advocated for the baby’s life, but Juanita entered the facility. Then soon after, she exited, declaring, “I can’t have an abortion” — an answer to Rodriguez’s prayers.
Do you remember the last time you heard those words? If the words sound familiar, that probably means you have recently celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation or “went to confession.” The words could also be familiar if you try to go to confession (as we believe we should) at least once a year.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney presided at the annual Scout Sunday Mass to honor Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on Saturday, Feb. 4.
The faith community of Our Lady of Pompei (OLP) Parish in Paterson on Feb. 5 welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who presided over Mass. He also administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to six young people from the parish.
The First Presbyterian Church of Metuchen had been a welcoming community to Indonesian refugees since the 1990s. Despite this openness, when it came to social justice issues around immigration, the faith community stayed out of the fray.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney sometimes leaned in close to listen as he mingled with parishioners. Open and friendly, the bishop worked his way through a crowded gym on Feb. 8 at Our Lady of the Magnificat (OLM) Parish in Kinnelon. He shared moments with many of the 150 faithful from OLM and other parishes who came to meet the shepherd of the diocese.
¡Regresa el Proyecto de Pentecostés! Una vez más, todos los sábados durante la Cuaresma y la Pascua (25 de febrero-13 de mayo), las puertas del Centro Frank Rodimer de nuestra Catedral se abrirán de par en par para acoger a todos los que se han inscrito para ser parte de esta experiencia formativa. A raíz del gran éxito que tuvo el proyecto el año pasado, el equipo a cargo esta emocionado de poder proveer — una vez más — un espacio donde los fieles puedan reunirse a lo largo de 11 semanas para enriquecerse, intelectual y espiritualmente, y compartir sus vivencias de la fe. Las charlas comenzaran puntualmente a las 10:00 A.M. y duraran 45 minutos, terminando con una sesión de Preguntas y Respuestas durante un cuarto de hora.
The Pentecost Project is back! Once again, every Saturday during Lent and Easter, the doors of the Frank Rodimer Center of our Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson will be wide open to welcome everyone who has registered to be part of this formative experience. Considering its great success last year, the committee in charge is excited to provide — once again — a space where the faithful can gather throughout the course of 11 weeks to be intellectually stimulated and spiritually enriched and to share their experiences of faith with each other. The talks will start promptly at 10 a.m. and will last 45 minutes, allowing for 15 minutes of questions and answers at the end of every talk.
I recalled writing a column last year encouraging readers to consider attending daily Mass, and I thought that I had written it in anticipation of the Season of Lent. I was a little surprised when I looked back in my files and realized that I had used the same title that was in my mind when I thought about writing a column in anticipation of Lent in this year of 2023. I thought about choosing a different title but then decided that some things are “worth repeating,” which led to my adding: (Part 2). You might also call this “Same title, different column.”
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney helped celebrate a Mass for the Feast of St. John Bosco on Jan. 31 at Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey with the Salesian and school community. An Italian priest, St. John (also known as “Don”), founded the Salesian Society, which consisted of priests and brothers. With the help of Sister Maria Domenca Mazzarello, he founded a society for women, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, known as the Salesian Sisters, dedicated to the care and education of poor girls.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited Holy Spirit Church and School on Feb. 3, where he celebrated Mass for Catholic Schools Week on the Feast of St. Blaise. He thanked the pastor, Father Stephen Prisk, and the school’s principal, Sister Marie Antonelli, and the entire parish and school community for their hospitality. The bishop also expressed congratulations to the eighth-grade class of 2023 and blessed and presented their graduation rings.
As part of its Welcome Home to Healing initiative, parishes in the Diocese of Paterson will, for the 15th year, have their church doors open and penance service available on Monday evenings, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., from Feb. 27, 2023, until March 27, 2023. A website dedicated to the initiative, which includes an informative video, may be found at www.welcomehometohealing.org.
Sometimes, even though a man and a woman enter a marriage with the best of intentions and great hopefulness for the future, it may end badly. Thankfully, the Roman Catholic Church has a process to determine if a marriage that ended badly may be declared invalid. And, if the marriage that ended badly is declared invalid, both the husband and wife can enter into another marriage with a person more suitable to be his/her partner for life.
Ongoing Formation is one of the priorities of the Catechetical Office of the Diocese of Paterson, equipping our catechists with all the tools they need to bring people to have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. In collaborative work, we try to seek solutions to the real challenges of the day and the needs facing catechists in their ministry.
Dr. Tobi Ippolito was already an active member at Holy Family Parish in Florham Park when his pastor asked him if he would consider becoming a deacon. For Ippolito, a weekly communicant and lector at the parish, that question from Father Thomas Rekiel lingered with him. With his wife, Anne, he discerned the call to greater service to the Church in the permanent diaconate in the diocese and eventually said “yes.” On Feb. 2, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney formally accepted Ippolito and seven other men of various backgrounds into the formation program of the diocesan permanent diaconate. It happened at a Mass in Holy Family Church. If they complete the program, they will be ordained in 2026.