Serving as true witnesses of God’s love and presence in the world, 61 couples from around the Diocese marked their milestone wedding anniversaries at the annual Silver and Gold Mass celebrated in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson Nov. 7. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was main celebrant of the Mass, which was coordinated by the Diocesan Office of Family Life, and was concelebrated by several priests from around the Diocese. Couples marking 25, 50, 60 and even 65 years of marriage renewed their vows before the Bishop during the Mass.

The new social movements that exist in the U.S., such as “wokeness,” “identity politics,” “social justice,” “intersectionality,” or “successor ideology,” should be understood as “pseudo-religions, and even replacements and rivals to traditional Christian beliefs.”

Growing up in the 1970s and ’80s, I have some vague memories of celebrating Veterans Day on Nov. 11. I presume that we had a day off from school, but, in doing some research, I found that an act was passed in Congress (The Uniform Monday Holiday Act) in 1968 that moved Veterans Day to the last Monday in October. That only lasted 10 years, as President Ford signed an amended act that restored Veterans Day to Nov. 11 in 1978. You can read more on this in an article, How Americans fought to Restore Veterans Day to Nov. 11. 

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney made a pastoral visit on Sunday, Oct. 31 to the faith community of St. Brendan/St. George in Clifton where he celebrated two Masses at 10:30 a.m. in English and 1 p.m. in Spanish for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time.

When Murray House here opened on Sept. 19, 1971, it created a new model to serve those with disabilities — a place for the disabled to live where they are part of a community rather than in an institution. Today, 50 years later, Murray House, now in Clifton, is still part of Catholic Charities’ Department for Persons with Disabilities (DPD), and is the longest running group home in the state of New Jersey.

Three religious images — woodcarvings of the Holy Family, the Lamb of God, and the Crucifixion — hang in the main chapel of St. Francis Residential Community in Denville, waiting to be shipped to their new home: Corpus Christi Parish in Chatham Township. Meanwhile, 24 solid-wood pews from the spacious main chapel already have found their new location: the worship space at St. Simon Church in Green Pond.

When Angelo Zecca was 28, he came to Straight & Narrow. At the time, he was in jail and addicted to drugs. His parole officer suggested he give rehab a chance. He did, and now exactly 50 years after graduating from the program, he is retiring following his long career of serving those who had also walked the path of addiction.

Janet Tussey walked into Boland Hall at St. Francis de Sales Parish in the McAfee section of Vernon township last month determined to find a few female saints, but also one special male saint: Padre Pio. That Wednesday night, Tussey, a St. Francis de Sales parishioner, and 180 other faithful from the Diocese and beyond, navigated several long rows of tables in the hall, which displayed an overwhelming 150 relics of Jesus, the Bles­sed Mother, and numerous Saints. After searching, she found the relic of St. Padre Pio.

When the 49th annual March for Life is held on Friday, Jan. 21, in Washington, D.C., its theme will be “Equality Begins in the Womb,” event organizers announced last week. According to Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life, “Equality has been a hotly debated topic in the United States as of late.

As I write this column, it has been three weeks since our Holy Father, Pope Francis, celebrated Mass (on Sunday, Oct. 10) to open the “Synod on Synodality” for the Universal Church. It is one week since our Diocese had our Opening Mass for the Synod during which we also celebrated World Mission Sunday. In my homily at the Opening Mass, I mentioned the homily that Pope Francis had preached at the Mass on Oct. 10. I encouraged all the delegates to read Pope Francis’ homily. I return to that homily now, because the more often I read it (I think it’s been five or six times), the more I am convinced that it offers not only a personal invitation to each of us, but also a spiritual “request” to enter into and participate in the Synod with a spirit of humility, openness, and trust.