Religious sisters and brothers enrich the life of the Diocese

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said that “holiness is not the luxury of a few, but a simple duty for me and for you. So let us be holy and through holiness, love one another as God loves us.”

When I was growing up, I was blessed to witness lots of different holy people who strived to live this way. In particular, I remember the women religious I knew in my youth. I was fortunate to have two aunts who were religious in my family.

We regularly had religious from their communities visiting us. In addition, I had much exposure to the religious sisters from the Catholic schools I attended. They were staffed by the Sisters of Mercy from Watchung and the Filippinis from Morristown. I know I would not be the person, priest or now bishop that I am without their influence.

Recently, we had some wonderful celebrations in our Diocese which highlighted women and men in consecrated life, people striving to live the type of holiness St. Mother Teresa encouraged.

Religious Sister Filippini Delores Toscano has officially retired and is moving to the Filippino Motherhouse in Morristown. Sister Delores has spent the last 23 years ministering at St. Ann’s Parish in Raritan. She is 98 years young! I believe she has been a Filippini for 84 years. She has an incredible life of service in Catholic schools and parish ministries.

She also often used to send me care packages of soup, food and goodies, especially during COVID when I was not out and visiting parishes as much and had to provide for my own meals. She was a constant source of encouragement to me, and I know she will be missed by many at St. Ann’s. She loved to visit the homebound and bring them Jesus and encouragement, too. At her farewell, the church and reception were filled with gratitude and love for her. May God bless her as she blessed us.

On  Sept. 7 we had the perpetual profession to the Sisters of Jesus our Hope of Sister Anna Palka at St. Mary of Mount Virgin Church of the Parish of the Visitation in New Brunswick.. Sister Anna is a recent graduate of Rutgers and was involved with our Catholic Student Center, part of St. Peter’s University and Community Parish.

The Sisters of Jesus our Hope are a diocesan religious community which serves here in our Diocese and has its motherhouse in Milford. It is a blessing to our Diocese to have a group of religious like this for service in our Diocese and who pray for our many needs! There were many young people from Rutgers present as Sister Anna took her final vows and it was another joyous event!

Most recently. we honored all the men and women in consecrated life in our Diocese with a Mass and luncheon at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Piscataway. The jubilarians renewed their own vows at the Mass. What a joy to see so many of our religious together. When I was praying during Mass, I could not help but thank God for the many, many lives these good servants of our Lord have touched in their ministries thanks to their striving to live holy lives by serving their brothers and sisters.

We are blessed to have 23 communities of religious sisters and brothers present in our Diocese, with 202 sisters living or ministering here and nine religious brothers at Saint Joseph’s High School, Metuchen and at St. Peters University Parish/Catholic Student Center at Rutgers University as well as two consecrated virgins and an anchoress.

Included among the women religious are 11 cloistered sisters at our Carmel in Flemington and seven contemplative Augustinian Recollect Sisters in Belvedere. They are all a beautiful force for holiness and goodness! Sister Anna Nguyen, SCC, ably and generously serves as our Diocese’s Delegate for Religious and has a great love for these religious.

The Second Vatican Council reminded us in Lumen Gentium, that those in consecrated life “… through the profession of the evangelical counsels, shine for all the people of God the truth, that we have no lasting city, but seek the city that is to come.”  Yes, our consecrated brothers and sisters remind us that we are made for more than the things of this world; for eternity.

Their commitment to Christ, is indeed a supernatural sign, a living witness to God’s presence in the world. So many of our people gain strength just by seeing them. Without saying a word their presence gives hope and confidence that there is more to life than meets the eye. Their witness reminds us that what is needed is the eyes of faith to see rightly the things of this world in proper perspective. Of course, what they do in your ministries proclaims this loudly too.

I know we are all so grateful to our religious sisters and brothers, for what they do in their varied ministries, but, more profoundly, we are grateful for who they are, and what they call us to – holiness – simply by their presence.

Our Diocese is so much richer and healthier because of the leaven of their lives, their dedication to the Poor, Chaste and Obedient Christ. I know you all know this, too, as the annual special collection for our retired religious is one of the largest we take up each year! Thank you for your generosity. Please join me in praying for our consecrated brothers and sisters, and for vocations to the consecrated life so that we have their witness and contributions in the future and know that they are praying for you and me too!  Know of my love, prayers and gratitude for you, too, and please pray for me. God bless you all.

Most Reverend James F. Checchio, JCD, MBA
Bishop of Metuchen