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When this edition of The Catholic Spirit is published, I will be with my mother and others in my family down the shore. Joining us will be friends who are flying in from the Midwest. For one couple, it will be their first visit to the Jersey shore!

In the Torah or Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, “sin” is a failure to observe the commandments laid before the people at Mount Sinai. In the prophetic literature, sin is a violation of the covenant between God and his people. Hence, there is emphasis on collective culpability and social sin. In the wisdom literature of the Bible, sin is foolishness. Whereas holiness or righteousness is depicted as true wisdom, that is, a healthy respect or fear of the Lord.

Next month, on Sept. 8, we will celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our Sister Rose Marie of the Sacred Heart. During the public Mass in our chapel, Sister Rose Marie will renew the vows she has so faithfully kept for the past 50 years. Such faithfulness is impossible without a deep love to sustain it. Fifty years encompasses two generations. If Sister Rose Marie had married, she would be a grandmother, and indeed Sister fits easily in the role of grandmother to the younger nuns in our community. (Our oldest Sister is 94 and she has been in our community for nearly 75 years, which qualifies her as our great-grandmother!)

When more than 3,000 Black American Catholics gathered for the 13th National Black Catholic Congress July 20-23, they were continuing an initiative that began in 1889 when journalist Daniel Rudd, born a slave in Kentucky, founded the Congress.

As a priest, I often reflect on that memorable and faithful night when our Blessed Lord “took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). Remembering is an essential part of our Catholic faith. We are believers by recalling our faith and believing those who have come before us. We not only remember, but we live by and trust in God’s word.

St. Pope John Paul II proclaimed, “The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic Adoration.” As year two of the National Eucharistic Revival, the Year of Parish Revival, moves forward, parishes in the Diocese of Metuchen continue to show their devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist through this ancient practice which recognizes the Real Presence of Jesus in body, blood, soul and divinity under the appearance of the consecrated host.

“Count and lean on the generosity of the Father!’’ was the encouragement from Bishop James F. Checchio during a send-off Mass on July 28, as 41 delegates from the Diocese of Metuchen embarked on the 10-day pilgrimage to World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal.

World Youth Day in Lisbon this year was an experience of God’s Providence in every way. Eighty-five pilgrims from the Dioceses of Metuchen and Paterson traveled together for an unforgettable journey in friendship with each other and God.

In spite of the challenges encountered during the three-year health crisis of COVID-19, “Catholic schools have continued the legacy that has characterized Catholic education: academic excellence, a strong partnership with parents, a sense of community and a faith-filled education for students nationwide,” reports the National Catholic Educational Association.

Students at Immaculata High School, Somerville, marked an academic milestone, taking a five-year record number of 321 Advanced Placement exams, a stark contrast to the nationwide decline in academic performance since the pandemic-caused learning setbacks.

The Catechism explains: “The great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle,” a battle “against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn us away from prayer, away from union with God” (CCC 2725).

“Where are you going?” The question was at the heart of the annual Quo Vadis retreat sponsored by the Diocese of Metuchen and held in Camp Shiloh, Hewitt, July 11-14.

James Talocka, a graduate of St. Augustine of Canterbury School, Kendall Park, and St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Edison, recently announced that he has accepted a position at the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, popularly known as “FOCUS.”

Two parishes in the Diocese of Metuchen had reason to celebrate on July 30 when Bishop James F. Checchio installed Father Mauricio Tabera-Vasquez as the pastor of St. Luke Parish and St. Joseph Parish, both in North Plainfield.

Silver & Gold Anniversary Prayer Service, Sunday, October 22, 2023, 3:00 P.M. The Catherdral Of St. Francis Of Assisi with Bishop James F. Checchio

Each year, Pope Francis invites the Church to commemorate the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on Sept. 1. This day of prayer begins a month-long “Season of Creation” which concludes on Oct. 4 with the feast of St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology. Calling on all Christians to pray and work together to care for our common home, the theme for this year’s Season of Creation is, “Let justice and peace flow.”

A diverse, invaluable resource filled the meeting room inside the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, a resource that had taken many decades to come to fruition – scores of senior citizens from throughout the Diocese of Metuchen eager to share their knowledge of, and love for, the Catholic faith with those of younger generations. The young woman standing before them issued a clarion call to action.

“The number of graces prayed over the food spread out on its surface like manna on holy days, holidays and Sacramental occasions is incalculable.”

My mother-in-law was a feisty woman, who was always up for a rousing debate, especially about her faith. Still, given that she was a cradle Catholic who spent several years in a convent boarding school as a child, her decision to join the Jewish Community Center in her 70s, after her husband died, was a surprise to all of us.