Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. James the Marches Church in Totowa and celebrated the vigil Mass to mark the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Joseph Church in Paterson and celebrated Mass for the Feast of the Three Kings, also known as the Epiphany, Jan. 5.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit on Jan. 4 to Holy Rosary Parish in Passaic, home of the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II, where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, also known as “Three Kings Day.” During his visit to the mostly Polish faith community, Bishop Serratelli served as main celebrant and homilist of the 5 p.m. Mass. Concelebrating was Father Stefan Las, pastor of the Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary. The Bishop blessed chalk and incense used in the blessings of homes for the feast day, sprinkling them with holy water.

Bishop Serratelli began the new year of 2020 with a pastoral visit to St. Clare Parish in Clifton where he was the principal celebrant of the 10 a.m. Mass to mark the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother God.

Modern life and society bombard Catholic husbands and fathers with so many challenges and distractions — from work and family pressures to moral temptations and societal attacks on faith and the meaning of authentic manhood. Those pressures make it difficult for a Catholic man to take up the challenge of striving to become a “saint” in this day — strengthening his relationship with Christ, taking leadership of the home and, by extension, transforming society.

One hundred years ago, the 19th Amendment was passed giving women in the U.S. the right to vote for the first time. Today in 2020, the March for Life, the world’s largest pro-life event, is linking itself to the women’s suffrage movement as it marks its century anniversary. The theme of this year’s March is “Life Empowers: Pro-Life is Pro-Woman.” Across the country, hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates will journey to the nation’s capital.

Bishop Serratelli made his annual Christmas visit to Straight and Narrow, an agency of Diocesan Catholic Charities in Paterson, where he led a prayer service and blessed clients who are currently in recovery at the drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Parish in Wayne on Christmas Eve evening where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the Nativity of the Lord.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Rose of Lima Parish in East Hanover on Christmas, Dec. 25 where he celebrated Mass for the Nativity of the Lord at 10:30 a.m.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Paul Parish in Clifton on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, where he celebrated Mass for the Nativity of the Lord.

On Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, Bishop Serratelli celebrated the 9 p.m. vigil Mass, marking the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, with parishioners of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson who filled the cathedral.

In anticipation of Christmas, the Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM) continued its traditional novena of Masses celebrated from Dec. 15 to 23, known as “Simbang Gabi,” which translates to “Masses of the Night.” To mark the tradition, an inter-parish gathering was held with two Masses celebrated each night — one at a Passaic County church and one at a Morris or Sussex County church throughout the novena days with 17 parishes participating. Priests from around the Diocese served as main celebrants.

After the sun went down on Dec. 23, spotlights went up on high drama like the faith community of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson had never experienced before: a big production of a Live Nativity on the grounds of the Mother Church of the Diocese in the heart of the City of Paterson. All the elements of this first-ever production — live actors and animals, music and reflections, period sets and costumes and a Star of Bethlehem high up on a flagpole — pointed the 300 onlookers to the most important reason for the Christmas season: the birth of the Christ Child and his invitation to us to have a loving relationship with him.

Earlier last year, legislators in Kentucky passed “The Ultra­sound Informed Consent Act.” It requires abortion doctors to present and describe an ultrasound image of an unborn child to a mother seeking an abortion, along with having to play audio of the baby’s heartbeat. Then-Gov. Matt Bevin (R) signed the bill into law.