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Since 1926, the Catholic Church has celebrated World Mission Sunday each October. The day, sponsored by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, is set aside annually to remind Catholics worldwide of the command of Jesus to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty and clothe the naked. It allows everyone to participate in the Church’s missionary activities through prayer and sacrifice. A special collection is taken up in every Church worldwide.

The parish community of St. Philip and St. James, Philipsburg, one of the oldest parishes in the Diocese, welcomed Bishop James F. Checchio Sept. 14 as principal celebrant for their 4:30 p.m. vigil Mass, which was also the occasion for the thirteen men of the Diaconate Ordination Class of 2027 to receive the Rite of Candidacy.

As followers of Jesus Christ, Christians recognize a need for spiritual healing in their individual lives. Sometimes these needs can also be discerned on a communal level.

Father Steven John Bolton C.O., who grew up in Hillsborough and attended Immaculata High School in Somerville, was ordained to the priesthood as a member of the Confederation of Oratories of Saint Philip Neri.

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.

“What a wonderful day for an ordination,” said Bishop James F. Checchio as he began the Mass of Ordination for 16 men to the Diaconate on May 3, the Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles. He said these two saints will be “wonderful intercessors and inspiring examples for our brothers today.”

Fifteen men who initially met as strangers in August 2020 gathered together April 15, 2024, as brothers preparing to be ordained permanent deacons on May 3. They were beginning the five-day retreat required by Canon Law as a final step before Ordination.

Catholic men need to be involved in their Church; the Church needs its men to be involved. These were two strong messages that emerged from the Leadership Summit for the Men of the County Seat Deanery held at Mary Mother of God Parish, Hillsborough, on Friday and Saturday, April 26-27. The event was organized by the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Communication.

Ninety catechumens representing 30 parishes across the Diocese of Metuchen gathered in the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in Metuchen on the First Sunday of Lent, Feb. 18, for the Rite of Election, celebrated by Bishop James F. Checchio and marking their last major step to full initiation into the Catholic Church.

On the Feast of the Chair of St Peter the Apostle, Randy Josue Gamboa Espinoza, a seminarian of the Diocese of Metuchen was ordained to the Order of Deacon by Bishop James F. Checchio in Mary Mother of God Parish, Hillsborough.

The Church of the Annunciation community, Bloomsbury, formally welcomed Father James W. McGuffey, March 10, when Bishop James F. Checchio celebrated the Mass of Installation making him their pastor.

Vietnam, like many East Asian countries, observes a lunar calendar, thus the celebration of New Years Day varies annually, but always occurs between late January and early February. 

In 2022, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops launched a three-year Eucharistic Revival initiative to renew the American Church “by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.” The first year was focused at the diocesan level.

Three-quarters of a century after a small mission church began to serve the Catholics of Hillsborough, one might be hard-pressed to find a single symbol to represent the untold number and variety of gifts given and received from the thousands who have called Mary Mother of God Parish their spiritual home – until three parishioners had an idea to create a heritage-quilted banner as a mosaic remembrance of 75 years serving the spiritual and communal needs of the parish.

St. Francis Retreat House, Easton, Pa., recently hosted 49 permanent deacons of the Diocese for their annual canonical retreat Nov.10-12.

In October, 1948, six spiritual daughters of St. Teresa of Avila journeyed from their monastery in Morristown to establish a new Carmelite foundation in what was then the Diocese of Trenton. Mother Mary Magdalen of Jesus Crucified was the foundress of the monastery, originally located in New Brunswick. In 1972 the Carmel of Mary Immaculate and St. Mary Magdalen found a home at 26 Harmony School Road, Flemington.

“Hearts on fire, feet on the move” was the theme Pope Francis chose for this year’s World Mission Sunday, Oct. 22. By the look of the many schoolchildren marching along Main Street, Metuchen carrying placards of support, the Diocese answered him with a resounding “yes”.

Legions of saints who have performed public miracles have enriched the faith of Catholics throughout the ages, but the simple efforts of a young, ailing Carmelite novice intent on living “the little way” continues to enrich followers with spiritual roses to this day.

A sign on Main Street in front of Annunciation Church, Bloomsbury, welcomed Bishop James F. Checchio, parishioners and guests – a visible example of the pride and excitement parishioners felt as they celebrated the 75th anniversary of the founding of Annunciation Parish on Sept. 24.

Raritan’s Holy Trinity Parish, which, in the words of Bishop James F. Checchio, “sees what needs to be done and meets those needs,” celebrated 75 years of such faith-filled service Sept. 30 with a jubilee Mass.