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Ninety-two year old Dolores Jules has a deep love for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. “When I enter the Adoration Chapel the first thing I remember is that Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament and as I sit and pray I know he hears every word I say, and every thought that crosses my mind. [It] is the most peaceful time to sit before our Lord, to give your heart and soul to him. I just love it.” Her deep enjoyment for this time in prayer inspired a heartwarming project that has been a labor of love for over fifteen years. Now a parishioner of St. Helena’s in Edison, Dolores was professed with the Order of Secular Franciscans since 1992, and has been an active minister in the St. John Vianney Fraternity since 2007.

“Never did I think I would end up in Peru!” Sister Gianna Mara Lemire says emphatically as we open our conversation over video call. She’s on the couch and I’m propped up on my bed with about 3,600 miles between us. The only clue I have that she lives in an impoverished area on the edge of the Amazon jungle is the hint of foliage I see in the distance.

“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.

In the final days before being ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Metuchen, then Deacon Jose Lim had a desire to go back and give thanks in a place near and dear to his heart – The Catholic Center at Rutgers University.