News - June 2024 RSS Feed

The love of Jesus for us, present to us in the Eucharist was abundantly clear as the Eucharistic Pilgrimage arrived in our Diocese. The Seton Route, one of four processions, arrived in our Diocese from New York on the afternoon of Memorial Day.

The Diocese of Metuchen welcomes the news from our Holy Father, Pope Francis, of the appointment of the Most Reverend Joseph Williams as the Coadjutor Bishop of Camden.

The breadth and depth of the rich cultural makeup of the Diocese of Metuchen was clearly evident June 8, in the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, as Bishop James F. Checchio ordained five men to the priesthood. The new priests – two from Vietnam, one from the Philippines, one from Costa Rica and one from Poland – were welcomed and supported by . representatives of their respective communities both from within the Diocese and from around the world.

It is common knowledge that our bodies need food and water to continue their biological processes of regeneration and growth. Without food and water, our bodies begin to slow down and struggle to function properly. If we wait long enough, death may occur, at which point no more biological processes are functioning and our bodies begin to decay and break down.

Hundreds of faithful gathered in St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral, Metuchen, May 27, to welcome six Perpetual Pilgrims on their journey to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana which takes place from July 17 - 21. The national pilgrimage, the first in 83 years, consists of four walking routes from divergent parts of the country who will all meet in Indianapolis. Arrival in the Diocese of Metuchen, which is part of the Seton Route, marked day 11 for the pilgrims.

“They’re coming!” The joyful declaration sprang from the lips of those standing outside St. Augustine of Canterbury Church as they spotted the group of pilgrims following behind a monstrance held high as it processed along Henderson Road the afternoon of May 28. The group, though weary, thirsty and sunburned after their 15-mile walk, nonetheless shared their joy with jubilant smiles as they entered the Kendall Park church for a program of prayer, Benediction and a talk by Father Roger Landry on the third of three stops in the Diocese of Metuchen.

We all know people who feel “unable” to forgive or refuse to forgive. Perhaps you are among them. Some people are “unable” to forgive or refuse to forgive for all the wrong reasons. Some cannot reconcile the deep hurt or betrayal they’ve experienced. Others assume that forgiveness (as in “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”) implies that we must resume former friendships that went sour or otherwise spend time with the one who “trespassed against us”. None of this is asked of us in the Lord’s Prayer. In fact, we don’t even have “to like” the person we are called to forgive, certainly not their negative or sinful behavior. In any case, we are not called to like such people, but to love them – to love the person, not their sin or behavior or disposition or immoral deeds; to love the human being made in the image and likeness of God.

It isn’t easy these days to get 400 people into a parish church, but Mark D. Conklin found a way.

The Diocese of Metuchen Historical Commission, led by Father Michael G. Krull, pastor of Our Lady of Peace Parish, North Brunswick, and commission chair, sponsored a one-day pilgrimage April 20 to three notable Catholic sites in the Morristown area: the Shrine of St. Joseph, Stirling, now celebrating its 100th anniversary; St. Mary’s Abbey, Delbarton, and St. Elizabeth University, Convent Station, to visit the Shrine and Museum of Blessed Miriam Theresa Demjanovich, the New Jersey nun on the path to sainthood.

When I was teaching World Religions at St. John’s University, I purposely taught my students a segment on Confucianism. Why? Because Confucius, at the time in which he lived, noticed that there was a lot of division in China. People were selfish. Tribes were warring against each other. What used to be good manners and citizenship, an appreciation for Truth, Goodness and Beauty or what Confucius called “Spontaneous Tradition” was no longer instinctive or, better, second nature.

Patron saints come in all sizes, shapes, and occupations. There are name patrons, saints whose name you share, there are date patrons, saints whose feast days mark some special moment in your life like your birthday, and there are action saints. I should probably call them something else, but I can’t think of a word that covers livelihood (like carpentry) and pastime (like soccer). Besides, “action saints” is an intriguing concept. It makes them sound like spiritual action heroes. Which I am sure they were! (When I wrote the previous paragraph, I didn’t know that there really is a patron saint of soccer! It is St. Luigi Scrosoppi. Look him up!)

Graduation marks a significant milestone in the lives of all of the graduates and their families of Immaculata, Mount Saint Mary Academy, St. Joseph and St. Thomas Aquinas and a culmination of years of hard work, dedication, growth and accomplishment. Our graduates should be proud of themselves as well as their teachers, administrators and parents as we mark this special moment in time for the senior classes of our Diocese’s high schools. Whatever path our graduates take in the future, we hope that it is one with joy, happiness, fulfillment, faith and filled with God’s love and grace.

The pews of Somerville’s Immaculate Conception Church were filled with joyful family and friends May 31, all eager to witness an important milestone in the lives of their favorite Catholic-educated young men and women.

So, here’s the question. Now that graduation is over, ask yourselves, how do we keep walking with God? It’s easy when things are good, and certainly, today, there is reason to celebrate! But how do we keep walking with God when there is no way to make sense of the senseless?

The strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” accompanied 69 Mount St. Mary Academy young Mercy women in procession for their June 1 graduation from the “Mount.”

As another remarkable school year comes to a close, more than 450 students in the Diocese of Metuchen walked through their school doors as alumni, taking with them a total of some $113 million in scholarship and award monies, with a college acceptance rate of 100 percent and 99.75% of students continuing on to higher education.

The 118 members of the Saint Joseph High School Class of 2024 celebrated the birthday of the Church May 19 with a milestone of their own: all the pomp and circumstances one might expect to mark the next joyous milestone on their academic paths.