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Have you been to Bethlehem? How often have you gone there and when was your most recent visit? Each year, in faith and prayer, we are invited to journey with Mary and Joseph, with the shepherds and Wise Men, to go to Bethlehem and to adore the newborn King. When we stop and think, there is a truly spiritual journey that takes place each year when we think of all the Masses, throughout the whole world, celebrated on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ...

As of Jan. 1, our Diocese will have a new Director of the Office of Faith Formation and Catechesis, Father Yojaneider Garcia. He was ordained a priest for our Diocese in 2014 and he has just completed two years of post-graduate study at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, achieving a master’s degree in Catechesis. We are grateful to Father Paul Manning, our Vicar for Evangeli­za­tion and his team at St. Paul Inside the Walls, as they have been “filling in” and covering the responsibilities of the Office of Faith Formation for the past year and a half, when there was no full time Director.

Dec. 8 was an opportunity to experience the unity which we share as members of the Universal Church, the “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic” Church. We have such an opportunity, to be united with the “mystical Body of Christ” each time we celebrate the Mass, as we believe that full, active participation in the celebration of the Eucharist (a.k.a. “Mass”), unites us, not only with the mystical Body, the whole Church, here on earth, but also with the “Church Triumphant” in heaven (a.k.a. the “Heavenly Liturgy”).

Two weeks ago, as I wrote my weekly column, I was preparing to attend my first in-person meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). At that time, I had just read the draft of a proposed document on the Eucharist, The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church. At the meeting, the document was approved by more than 95 percent of the bishops (222–8). As I said after first reading it, I believe it is an inspiring document and it will be great help in a much-needed “Eucharistic Revival.” The document is now available online at the USSCB website. 

As I began writing this week’s column, I thought that I had written on the theme of Thanksgiving last year, but, when I looked back, I realized that I had not written a column — rather, I had written a homily for a Mass that I would celebrate on Thanksgiving Day (2020) at St. Simon Parish in Green Pond. As you will see, I shared my experience of having served as a pastor for 10 years in a largely immigrant parish. Instead of rewriting it, I will share what I wrote at that time:

Did you know that the U.S. Confer­ence of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) wrote a “teaching document” on the Eucharist in 2006? The title (and subtitle) of that document is the title that I chose for this column. The full text of the document is available online or you can Google: Happy are those called to His Supper. I highly recommend taking the time to read the document and to read it prayerfully.

Growing up in the 1970s and ’80s, I have some vague memories of celebrating Veterans Day on Nov. 11. I presume that we had a day off from school, but, in doing some research, I found that an act was passed in Congress (The Uniform Monday Holiday Act) in 1968 that moved Veterans Day to the last Monday in October. That only lasted 10 years, as President Ford signed an amended act that restored Veterans Day to Nov. 11 in 1978. You can read more on this in an article, How Americans fought to Restore Veterans Day to Nov. 11. 

As I write this column, it has been three weeks since our Holy Father, Pope Francis, celebrated Mass (on Sunday, Oct. 10) to open the “Synod on Synodality” for the Universal Church. It is one week since our Diocese had our Opening Mass for the Synod during which we also celebrated World Mission Sunday. In my homily at the Opening Mass, I mentioned the homily that Pope Francis had preached at the Mass on Oct. 10. I encouraged all the delegates to read Pope Francis’ homily. I return to that homily now, because the more often I read it (I think it’s been five or six times), the more I am convinced that it offers not only a personal invitation to each of us, but also a spiritual “request” to enter into and participate in the Synod with a spirit of humility, openness, and trust.

In recent weeks, I have heard from a few members of the Diocese who have spoken or written to me about the upcoming elections. One person wrote, “At this time it is NOT acceptable to tell Catholics to vote their conscience. Some 40–50 percent continue to vote for abortion (and other evils) candidates with a clear conscience.” While I understand the writer’s concern over polling data that has reported on the way in which Catholics have voted in recent decades, we must be careful about assertions as to whether others may or may not be making a choice with a “clear conscience.” According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator” (n. 1783). To have an informed conscience means that we constantly seek to understand God’s plan and will for our lives. In order to help others understand the beauty of God’s law requires that we are in constant communication with others, even those who do not agree with us.

Have you visited the Shrine of St. Pope John Paul? You may be asking, “Which one?” Do you know that we have a diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II at Holy Rosary Parish in Passaic? On this past Sunday, I had the opportunity to visit the shrine as the parish was celebrating a novena in preparation for the Feast of St. Pope John Paul II on Oct. 22. The Mass was bilingual (English and Polish). My “parts” were all in English, but it was wonderful to see and be with a vibrant parish community and to see and feel the special love and pride that the Polish community has for the saint who was sometimes called the “Polish Pope.” All of us who remember St. Pope John Paul II have come to know that he was truly a gift of the Polish people to the whole Church and the whole world.

Have you ever heard of a “Vademe­cum?” Personally, I cannot recall hearing of a “Vademecum” until a month or so ago. If you look up or Google the definition, you will find: Noun: vademecum; borrowed from the Latin, “go with me,” a handbook or guide that is kept constantly at hand for consultation; “His book is an excellent vademecum for writers.”

Since 1972, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has been promoting the month of October as Respect Life Month. The theme for this year’s Respect Life Month is “St. Joseph, Defender of Life.” You can find a wealth of material and resources at the USCCB website. We pray through the intercession of St. Joseph, that he would inspire us to “defend life” as he defended and protected the lives of Mary and the child Jesus, especially during the journey to Bethlehem, as Mary carried her unborn child, through the birth of Our Savior in the stable in Bethlehem, through the flight into Egypt, the slaughter of the Holy Innocents and the return to Nazareth (Mt. 2:13–24).

Did you know that the word “light” appears 295 times in the Bible? In fact, it first appears at the very beginning in the book of Genesis. After creating the heavens and the earth, God’s very first gift to us and the first example of his loving power was bringing light to the world. “The earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters. Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light.” (Gn 1:2–3). It was from this initial light — this divine spark — which the rest of God’s creation followed. It is at this moment in the Bible that we see the eternal connectedness between the beauty of light and the presence of God and his love.

“You need to get help” or “I need to get help.” How many of us have said those words or have heard those words from someone we love, especially when that “someone” is a spouse, parent, child, or sibling and we have seen them suffering or deteriorating under the weight of an addiction?

At some point in college, I believe as a freshman or sophomore, I remember being intrigued by hearing in a philosophy class that a particular philosopher (I do not recall his name) began his academic career as a “philologist.”

For those who are old enough to look back and remember all that has taken place during the past 20 years, how much do you remember from your personal life, the life of your family, and events that have taken place in our communities, in our country, and throughout the world? Obviously, some remember more than others do and there are unforgettable moments for each and all of us. The events, tragedy, and heroism that took place 20 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001, is certainly one of those unforgettable moments. Almost every person who was old enough to realize what was happening could remember where they were and what they were doing the moment they heard, “a plane hit the World Trade Center” or “a plane hit one of the Twin Towers.” Others heard the words, “Turn on the TV, a plane just hit …”

“Back to school,” for most of grammar school and all of high school, were three of my “least favorite words.” That was especially true during my high school years, as the end of August drew near and I had not finished reading any of the five books that I was supposed to have read during the summer. During my college years all that changed and, while I cannot say that I looked forward to classes, tests, and papers, I did begin to look forward to going back to school.

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.

One Chapter, 71 verses, the sixth Chapter of John’s Gospel, tells us of Jesus multiplying the loaves and fishes; feeding the 5,000; telling the crowd that they should, “… not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life …”; and then telling them that he is the “ Bread of Life” and that he will give us his flesh to eat and his blood to drink so that we may have eternal life.

Dear Grandfathers and Grandmothers, Dear Elderly Friends, “I am with you always.”
(Mt 28:20)
This is the promise the Lord made to his disciples before he ascended into heaven. They are the words that he repeats to you today, dear grandfathers and grandmothers, dear elderly friends. “I am with you always” are also the words that I, as Bishop of Rome and an elderly person like yourselves, would like to address to you on this first World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly. The whole Church is close to you — to us — and cares about you, loves you and does not want to leave you alone!