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Rutgers University’s Catholic Center recently held their Fall Retreat, entitled “Work of His Hands,” at Camp Tecumseh, Pittstown, drawing 60 students Oct. 11-13 for three fun and faith-filled days which included talks, games, Adoration, Mass, Eucharistic Procession, and, of course, food.

“We are here because we love this priest of God.” The words of Father John Hillier resonated with a congregation of hundreds, gathered for a Mass of Christian Burial for Monsignor Arduino “Edward” Puleo, who died Oct. 25.

Every year, on the third Sunday of September, the Church celebrates Catechetical Sunday, when those in each parish community who have been designated to serve as catechists may be called forth to be commissioned for their ministry.

Writing has been used since ancient times to express the emotions and the realities of life we find hard to acknowledge. Experts say it helps heal trauma, strengthen resilience, and reduce anxiety by giving us a voice we often have trouble finding. In this era of uncertainty, pandemics and violence, where things seem so terribly out of control, sometimes writing is the only thing youth can do to make their voices heard – in poems, in prose, in song lyrics and in wrenching narratives we may not want to hear – but we need to hear.

An enthusiastic crowd of some 150 seniors gathered July 25 in the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway, for the second annual “Celebrate Life, A Morning for Grandparents and Seniors,” sponsored by the diocesan Office of Human Life and Dignity.

A view from the risers from our Editor in Chief.

The Catholic Spirit won five awards during the 2024 Catholic Media Conference.

The gift of the Cursillo Movement has long been acknowledged by popes and bishops worldwide throughout its 75 year history.

The Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi extends an invitation to all rising 3rd to 8th grade students, from any parish within or outside the Diocese, for their second annual Summer Choir Camp.

St. James Parish, Woodbridge, held their annual Corpus Christi procession on June 2, processing from St. James Church to St. Joseph’s Senior Home, Woodbridge, and, as they walked, praying for Church and country.

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?

A life-long dream was realized the weekend of June 8-9 when now Father Joshua Maondo, 29, was ordained as a Maryknoll priest June 8 at Maryknoll, New York, and then celebrated his first Mass in St. John the Evangelist Parish, Dunellen, June 9 with the Kenyan family and community, including Father Alphonsus Kariuki, pastor, that have embraced him.

“Confirmation to me is not just any Sacrament. Confirmation is the reception of Jesus Christ in our hearts, which we confirm we believe in through Confirmation,” said Isabel McGuire, a recent Confirmandi in St. Matthias Parish, Somerset.

Saint Joseph Church, a 1910 Richardson Romanesque style church, was designed by Joseph A. Jackson (1861-1940) from New York City. It was the first church built in the then newly formed Trenton Diocese. The actual parish was officially founded on Sept. 24, 1882. Both corner stones are at the front façade of the church.

Years ago, while working together on an Easter story for a monthly newsletter, Bishop Edward T. Hughes looked at a photo of three crosses standing on a distant hill, black silhouettes against a burnt orange sky, and said, almost imperceptibly, “That’s the greatest love story ever told.”

“Most often, the work of the Saints will go unnoticed and unseen,” wrote Father Steve Grunow, in a 2017 Word on Fire article. “Saints are not celebrities, and those saints who capture the attention of the world, view that renown as the imposition of a cross."

The Eucharistic Revival Team in St. Jude Parish, Blairstown, recently arranged for the traveling Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit, created by the Diocese of Trenton, to be hosted in the parish hall for two weeks. The exhibit is based on the website created by Blessed Carlo Acutis, who attempted to catalogue all the Eucharistic miracles that have taken place worldwide.