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Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on March 18 visited St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln Park, where he celebrated the 5:30 p.m. Mass. There, he also installed Father Artur Zaba as the parish’s pastor.

The faith community of St. Joseph Parish in West Milford on March 19 welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who presided over noon Mass for the Feast of St. Joseph. Concelebrating was Father Jakub Grzybowski, St. Joseph’s administrator.

The Partnership for Social Services in Franklin, part of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Paterson, welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on March 21 to commemorate March for Meals. Each year, March for Meals celebrates the day in 1972 when a national nutrition program for seniors was added to the Older Americans Act.

Lou Nunez had several reasons for wanting to start the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church of Clifton Photo Club. Nunez, in 2020, brainstormed with the current pastor, Father Robert Wisniefski, and the late Father John Connolly, pastor emeritus, regarding the club, which would serve as a vehicle for evangelization, foster a deeper relationship with the Lord, document the life of Sacred Heart Parish in its parish bulletin, and encourage more people to be active in the life of the parish.

Jesus seems so close — only a few feet away — as depicted at the eleventh Station of the Cross in St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison. The black-and-white drawing shows him lying down on the cross as a Roman soldier drives a nail through his wrist — from eye level. This eleventh Station, “Jesus is Nailed to the Cross,” is part of a set of 14 new Stations at St. Paul’s that present a unique view of the Passion of Christ.

A newly launched podcast lets Catholics of the Paterson Diocese and beyond get to know Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney — and soon other dynamic Catholics in the local Church — from the convenience of their laptops, tablets, mobile devices, or TVs. Faithful everywhere can get more acquainted with the spiritual leader of the diocese — and his down-to-earth style — and other prominent diocesan Catholics by tuning into his new weekly podcast, “Beyond The Beacon,” which debuted earlier in March.

On the first full day of spring, Tuesday, March 21, a beautiful morning — the sun was shining, and the sky was blue — I had the opportunity to drive to Franklin in Sussex County for an event called “March for Meals.” The event was being hosted by our Catholic Charities Center in Franklin and celebrating more than 20 years of partnership between Catholic Charities of our Diocese of Paterson and “Meals on Wheels.”

On March 14, the Passaic County Board of County Commissioners honored Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney in Paterson as part of their Irish-American Heritage Month Celebration. Bishop Sweeney is pictured at the ceremony, which included dancing and bagpipes. County Commissioner Terry Duffy presented the bishop with a letter.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney presided at the annual Acies convocation of the Legion of Mary on March 12 in St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Morristown. It was attended by Legion of Mary members and priests. During the Acies each year, Legion of Mary members recommit themselves to the Holy Spirit and to Mary. The event included Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the recitation of the rosary.

St. Bonaventure Church in Paterson hosted a Noche Blanca, or “White Night,” retreat for Hispanic youth and others on Saturday, March 11. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney attended the beginning of the event to welcome participants.

Ecuador Quilt, Inc., founded in the year 2000 by Our Lady of Consolation of Wayne parishioners and incorporated in 2006, seeks, per its website, to provide “adequate health care, nutrition, and relevant training and education that will lift residents out of poverty to create a path to a self-sustaining future.” Father Desmond Dalton is the priest who serves the poverty-stricken fishing village in San Pablo, Ecuador. Twenty-three years ago, his sister’s (a Wayne resident) son began discussing its prevalent severe plight and famine with the son of an Our Lady of Consolation parishioner.

Father Duberney Villamizar, the pastor of St. Margaret of Scot­land Parish in Morristown, said he feels blessed to have the opportunity to become “the voice of the Latino faith community in the leadership of the diocese” with his new role as episcopal vicar for Hispanic Affairs.

In the cafeteria of Assumption School in Morristown, a jukebox pumps out the old hit “Brown-Eyed Girl.” After eating lunch, younger students get up and bop to the music with Sister of Charity Merris Larkin, principal, trading laughs, smiles, and funny poses.

I am not sure if there is a “rule” or “standard” that establishes something as an “annual tradition,” but as I move towards the completion of my third year as bishop and as I have done some things for the third consecutive year, I get the sense that some things could become an “annual tradition.” At this time last year, I wrote a column about “Opening Day” of the Baseball Season and the “hope that springs eternal.”

The faith community of Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary Parish in Dover welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on March 5 for his celebration of the 9:30 a.m. Mass in Spanish (left) and the the 11 a.m. Mass in English (right). Con­cele­brating with the bishop were Father Leonardo Lopez, the parish’s administrator; Father Brendan Murray, pastor emeritus; and Father Luis de la Cuadra.

In a section of Morristown often known as the “Dublin” neighborhood, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade Mass in Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Morristown on March 11. 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 attended the 9:30 a.m. Mass. The popular parade stepped off at noon.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited the Church of Christ the King in New Vernon on March 8 as part of the parish’s Wednesday Night Lenten Mass Series at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays during Lent. In his homily, Bishop Sweeney encouraged the faithful to live the Lenten practices of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer.

Renovated last year, the inside of the former rectory of St. John Vianney Parish in Stockholm today feels cozy with its big chairs and couches, stately wooden fireplace, and large gathering room. Together, these features help welcome the many young people of the parishes of St. John and St. Thomas the Apostle in Oak Ridge who use the repurposed space as a new religious education and youth ministry center.

Earlier this month, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney spoke to those gathered for the Pentecost Project in the Frank Rodimer Center of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. Once again, every Saturday during Lent and Easter, everyone is welcome to be part of this formative faith experience. It’s 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.

Chris and Anne Trepcos of St. Cecilia Parish in Rockaway recently felt inspired to start a new habit that’s given a lift to their marriage and family life: breaking into prayer together on the spot. “Now when we’re facing an issue, we say, ‘Let’s pray about it.’ It’s helped,” said Anne Trepcos, married to Chris for 18 years with four children, ages seven to 15.