News - April 2025 RSS Feed

“With such great joy does Christ fill our hearts this day by His Resurrection, not alone because He gives us the gladness of this day, but because He has also given us salvation through His Passion, immortality through His Death, healing of our wounds, and resurrection from our fall!” - St. Proclus of Constantinople

“Jesus saw the good in his apostles, not what was missing,” Bishop James F. Checchio reminded the congregation seated before him in the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi for the April 15 Diocese of Metuchen Chrism Mass. “The same is true for us: God sees the good in us… He sees a reflection of himself in us and loves us. What a blessing.”

The important role of the Catholic Church in offering faith-filled treatment of mental illness was the theme of the annual day-long 2025 Choices Matter - A Critical Life Issues Conference, the 24th such event sponsored by the diocesan Office of Human Life and Dignity. The program of diverse speakers, prayer, book signings, fellowship, pro-life and mental health exhibits, along with the opportunities of Eucharistic Adoration and Confessions, began with Mass celebrated by the Bishop.

That’s 40 years of walking with moms in need! 40 years of praying for all life, from conception to natural death; 40 years saving the lives of God’s precious, unborn babies! 40 years of providing cribs, strollers, car seats, clothing, diapers, and formula to those in need; 40 years of assisting clients in finding affordable housing, medical insurance, financial aid, and food pantries. 40 years of educating women about the risks of abortion; 40 years of encouraging adoption as a choice; 40 years of lactation advice; 40 years of post abortion support.

It’s tough to be a teen, speaker Braden Johnson told the roughly 75 middle schoolers and high schoolers gathered on April 5 for Diocesan Youth Day. Lots of heads nodded in agreement, some visibly pleased that their personal journeys had been affirmed out loud.

When I meet people throughout our Diocese who read my columns, they often ask if I would write on such and such a topic. One common request is to expound on a theme I had previously written about on forgiveness and the Lord’s Prayer.

More than 500 teachers and administrators from the diocese’s 22 Catholic elementary schools, Immaculata High School and St. Thomas Aquinas High School came together at seven locations on March 28 to share best practices and experiences during a diocesan professional development day.

On March 19, The Solemnity of St. Joseph, the Husband of Mary, families of the Diocese’s newly formed Homeschool Ministry gathered in celebration of the patron saint of the Universal Church. The plan for the day included prayers to St. Joseph and a field trip to just four of the churches in our Diocese, to learn something about the special features of church architecture.

Following the lead of Pope Francis, who made hope the theme of this Jubilee Year, more than three dozen parishioners of St. Luke Parish, North Plainfield, spent a retreat day centered on the theme, “Hope: Facing the Transitions of Life.”

During the Veneration of the Cross on Good Friday, which follows the Intercessions and Collection, the Choirs traditionally sing the Reproaches. Some parishes, however, have replaced the Reproaches with another hymn because they felt that these were anti-Semitic. Truth be told, the early history of our Church was marked by anti-Semitism because the Christians believed that the Jews were responsible for Jesus’ Passion and Death. It was only during the Second Vatican Council in the 1960’s, that the notion of the Jews’ being “Christ-killers” was rescinded. The Jewish authorities demanded his death, some of the crowd outside the Pretorium demanded his death, the Roman soldiers carried out his Crucifixion. But all of us, humans, are culpable of putting Jesus to death.

This will not be an original reflection. Greater minds than mine have pondered the mystery of time, and whatever conclusions they came to, I doubt if I would even understand them, much less be able to develop them to the enrichment of my readers. I am no philosopher or physicist elucidating the mysteries of our world. I am just an ordinary human being trying to get through the day!

While the institution has gone by different names and even served different grade levels and age groups over the years, Warren County’s only Catholic school has been steadfast in its mission to educate and enrich young people.

Whether confronted by a suspected drug dealer, a suicidal man on a roof, or his own health challenges, South Brunswick Police Deputy Chief James Ryan responded to the crises with faith. He asserted, “Prayers work. We need to listen to God’s word, and we need to have faith as our bedrock.”

During their anything-but-average days, they serve as counsellors, tour guides, supply officers, coffee makers, troubleshooters, photographers and bulletin preparers. Still others serve as translators, money collectors, laundry workers, dog walkers, chefs and horticulturalists. Their job responsibilities may be unique to their particular parish or school, but may accurately be summarized as “Director of First Impressions.”

More than 70 educators, including PCLs, catechists, teachers and school administrators from Catholic parishes and schools in the Diocese of Metuchen and neighboring dioceses, gathered at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center in Piscataway March 20 for an information-packed workshop sponsored by Sophia Teachers. Entitled “Christian Anthropology: Responding to Modern Challenges,” the workshop focused upon a clear presentation of the Catholic understanding of the human person and then juxtaposed this understanding with what is known in modern vernacular as ‘gender ideology’.

A firefighter who made the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11, the first female golfer in school history to compete at the Division I level in college, a trailblazer in Type 1 diabetes research, a former major league baseball pitcher, and the entire national championship marching band from 2012 were among those inducted into the ninth Hall of Fame class by Immaculata High School, Somerville, on April 10 at The Palace in Somerset.

Holy Week, the final week of Lent and the period leading up to Easter, commemorates the last days of Jesus Christ’s life on earth, including his death and Resurrection. It’s a time of solemn reflection, remembrance of his suffering, and anticipation for the joy of his Resurrection.

More than 500 participants, ranging in age from 6 to 96, participated in the School of St. Elizabeth’s 5th Annual Shamrock Shuffle in Bernardsville, March 22.

Susan Polito of Basking Ridge, a student in the class of 2025 at Immaculata High School, has been honored with the 2025 NJ Governor's Award in Arts Education for Vocal Music. This esteemed recognition celebrates her outstanding contributions to the arts and highlights the importance of arts education in New Jersey.