Christina Leslie

RARITAN BOROUGH — Standing before an overflow crowd at St. Joseph Church Jan. 28, a beaming Steven J. Bolton took an important step on his faith journey when he was ordained a deacon in the Raritan Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri.

METUCHEN — Though most of the faithful seated before him may never have cast a fishing net into the sea for food, Bishop James F. Checchio assured them they were still responsible for a valuable catch.

It went through me like an electric wire, like a spark” is how Sister Mary Ann Nowicka described the moment she decided to follow a call from the Lord to enter consecrated life. Now, seven decades past that fateful decision, Sister Mary Ann, a member of the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, still smiles as she recounts her faith journey.

METUCHEN — Reflecting the devotion of Catholics of Filipino descent in the diocese, a symbol of faith in the form of a regal child took its place at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Dec. 23 at the conclusion of Simbang Gabi celebrations.