Bishop Kevin Sweeney presided at a Holy Hour and Mass in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on the evening of Nov. 3, Election Day. The Mass was livestreamed for the faithful to pray with the Bishop and it was celebrated in both English and Spanish.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney installed Father Dariusz Kaminski as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Passaic Nov. 8 on the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. The new pastor, a native of Poland, will serve the large Polish community at the parish.

Twenty-six couples came to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson Nov. 8 to mark their silver wedding anniversaries, one of the happiest events that has occurred in 2020. This year, they celebrated or will celebrate 25 years of faith, hope and love just as they did in exchanging their vows on their wedding day.

When Father Alex Nevitt returned home to Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish on Oct. 2 after a month in Rome, he did not feel ill — only slightly “under the weather” from what he chalked up to jet lag. The Notre Dame parochial vicar even had temperature scans at airports in Rome, Toronto and Newark on his way back to check for COVID-19, which all produced negative readings. Inspired by an abundance of caution, Father Nevitt went beyond U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and self-quarantined in isolation in his room in Notre Dame’s rectory upon his return. That ended up being the right move a day before things went wrong: a diagnosis of coronavirus from his local doctor Oct. 3.

Earlier this year, vandals ran amuck across the nation tearing down statues of religious and historic figures with impunity. Very few political leaders called for these vandals to be prosecuted according to the law for their random acts of violence. When asked about the vandalism of statues earlier this year, Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California, a Catholic whose district includes San Francisco, said, “People will do what people will do.”

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Vincent DePaul Parish in Stirling where he celebrated Mass Nov. 1 to mark the Solemnity of All Saints.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Margaret of Scotland Parish in Morristown where he celebrated the vigil Mass for All Saints’ Day, Oct. 31.

Eradicating racism in society and the Church in the U.S. requires purposeful action, both external and internal. That was the suggestion of Father Alonzo Cox, coordinator of the African American Apostolate and Ministry to African American Catholics for the Brooklyn Diocese, during a virtual convocation with Catholic attorneys and other faithful, “America’s Founding Principles, Catholic Social Teaching and Racism: An Initial Conversation,” on Oct. 28.

Due to the generosity of many kind-hearted parishioners at Christ the King Church in New Vernon, local diocesan organizations and other non-profits within the borders of the Diocese received funding for various needs to support the organization’s works in serving those in need. Through its “We Care, We Share” Outreach Fund, which the parish launched in 2017 thanks to a bequest dedicated to support current and future outreach programs helping those in need.

Parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) in Hewitt, especially those from Poland, have been bringing their heartfelt prayers before a new St. Pope John Paul II Shrine inside the church — a simple yet elegant devotional that keeps these parishioners close to their religious heritage and their homeland’s beloved native son.

Serving youths in the middle of a pandemic has brought on many challenges to an age group already dealing with many of the trademark traits of adolescence. It was a large topic of discussion for 60 youth ministers, catechists and priests attending a meeting with Bishop Kevin Sweeney at St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization in Madison Oct. 27.

In the 11th Chapter of John’s Gospel, we hear of the death of Lazarus and Jesus’s arrival after Lazarus had “already been in the tomb for four days.” We eventually hear how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. I have found there are two moments in between Jesus’ arrival and raising of Lazarus that are most important for our prayer and reflection. First, the encounter between Jesus and Martha (Jn. 11:17–27) is filled with emotion. Martha is mourning the death of her brother. She may even be angry with Jesus as she says, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” How many of us have experienced this grief and pain at the death of a loved one? As a priest, trying to offer consolation, I have found Jesus’ words so comforting, “Your brother will rise.” I have also been inspired and strengthened by Martha’s faith, “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe.”

On Oct. 31, the Knights of Colum­bus were treated to a special day as their founder, Father Michael McGivney, continued on his path to sainthood with his beatification in the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Conn. As members of the organization beamed proudly, Father McGivney was formally beatified through an apostolic letter from Pope Francis that was read by Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, appointed representative of Pope Francis, who was the principal celebrant of the beatification Mass.