It’s a typical Tuesday night at Frank’s Pizza in Hopatcong as a small group of regulars sit at their usual table looking over dinner specials as they get ready to order. Yet this less-than-typical bunch of diners, consisting of local Catholics and some other locals, gathers on Tuesdays at the local eatery for something not found on the menu: spirited conversations about Catholic teaching and worship and how believers can live out those values today.

When practicing their faith, Catholics often think about the relationships they have with God the Father and Jesus the Son. To get closer, they pray, attend Mass, follow the teachings of the Church and take part in the sacraments. But St. Mary Parish has been giving parishioners the opportunity to delve deeper into their faith lives by also considering a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

“Fake news” is a term used almost every day by President Trump to dismiss in a single phrase what he feels is biased news coverage of his administration. But the term, “fake news” is being used more and more these days, with even Pope Francis’ message for the World Day of Social Communications focusing on the topic of “fake news.”

While hundreds of thousands, including many from the Diocese of Paterson, took part in the 45th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. Jan. 19, New Jersey pro-life advocates held a statewide rally in Trenton on the steps of the capital building Jan. 22, the actual anniversary of U.S. Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade which made abortion legal in 1973.

At any given Mass, two recently constructed freestanding wooden kneelers in Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) Church, Swartswood, almost look as if they are kneeling in prayer on the floor before the altar while they wait to accommodate worshippers who choose to receive Holy Communion while kneeling.

Millions of eyes will be focused on Super Bowl LII, when the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles play Feb. 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. But as the kick-off nears, victim advocates are warning all of us about a darker side to major sporting events: human trafficking.