Since 1972, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has been promoting the month of October as Respect Life Month. The theme for this year’s Respect Life Month is “St. Joseph, Defender of Life.” You can find a wealth of material and resources at the USCCB website. We pray through the intercession of St. Joseph, that he would inspire us to “defend life” as he defended and protected the lives of Mary and the child Jesus, especially during the journey to Bethlehem, as Mary carried her unborn child, through the birth of Our Savior in the stable in Bethlehem, through the flight into Egypt, the slaughter of the Holy Innocents and the return to Nazareth (Mt. 2:13–24).

Father David Monteleone was installed as pastor of St. Philip the Apostle Church in Clifton by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on Sept. 26 at Mass marking the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Filipinos from around the Diocese honored two martyr saints from their homeland in the Philippines — St. Lorenzo Ruiz and St. Pedro Calungsod — at the annual diocesan celebration of the Filipino Martyr Mass. The Mass was held at the Cathe­­dral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on Sept. 25 with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney as the main celebrant and priests from around the Diocese, many who came from the Philippines, concelebrating the Mass. The Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM) coordinated the annual Mass.

Just in time as ministries in local parishes continue to reopen after a year and a half in the COVID-19 lockdown, the diocesan Office of Worship will present “Winding through Worship,” a series of five workshops on various topics related to worship and liturgy. The workshops are scheduled on Tuesdays, from Oct. 5 to Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization in Madison.

Thousands of Afghan refugees stood in line on a recent day at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., with the joy of newly found freedom on their smiling faces. Father Michal Falgowski, pastor of St. Virgil Parish here and a U.S. Air Force Reserve Chaplain, smiled too as he surveyed the amazing sight while on an official visit there. He watched as troops processed the refugees, who arrived on American soil soon after U.S. forces flew them out of Afghan­istan, as it was falling to the Taliban after the Biden Adminis­tration’s hastily ordered the withdrawal of all American forces.

For the more than 300 senior citizens served by diocesan Catholic Charities, the support they have received through the agency has been a source of light during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through letters, care packages, and phone calls, the senior programs operated by Catholic Family and Community Services (CFCS) has been actively engaged with these seniors. Now for the first time in 18 months, its senior activities program has opened its doors welcoming seniors for in-person activities.

As the Year of St. Joseph continues, the Diocese of Paterson has offered the faithful a variety of opportunities to learn more about St. Joseph and to honor the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Those opportunities will continue until the Year of St. Joseph concludes on Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Did you know that the word “light” appears 295 times in the Bible? In fact, it first appears at the very beginning in the book of Genesis. After creating the heavens and the earth, God’s very first gift to us and the first example of his loving power was bringing light to the world. “The earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters. Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light.” (Gn 1:2–3). It was from this initial light — this divine spark — which the rest of God’s creation followed. It is at this moment in the Bible that we see the eternal connectedness between the beauty of light and the presence of God and his love.

ishop Kevin J. Sweeney made a pastoral visit to Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock where he installed Father Stephen T. Prisk as its pastor during the 5 p.m. vigil Mass on Sept. 18 for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Ordained on May 23, 2015 by Bishop Emeritus Arthur Serratelli, Father Prisk became Holy Spirit’s pastor effective June 29, taking over for Father David A. Monteleone, who was named pastor of St. Philip the Apostle Parish, Clifton, effective the same day.

Shannon Jones, youth minister and Confirmation coordinator at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Flanders, admits that she is a worrier, who comes from a long line of worriers. Her anxieties usually come out at night — around 2 a.m. — when, as she says, it seems impossible to surrender to Jesus, who tells us, “Do not be afraid.” But this summer, Jones found some relief, having been introduced to the “Sleeping St. Joseph” statue, while taking a continuing education class for Catholic educators.

Beginning with the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday evening of Sept. 12, Assumption Parish in Morristown hosted 40 Hours of Devotion for the parish and neighboring communities. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated the conclusion of the devotion with a noon Mass on Sept. 14. Priests from around the area concelebrated the Mass. Upper-grade students of Assumption School joined the parish community at the Mass.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Mass with the school community of Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Wayne Sept. 14 to mark the new school year. Afterwards, the Bishop visited each of the classrooms at the school greeting the students and wishing them a successful school year.

Since she was a child, Mercylynn Mbuguah, now 25, had an all-consuming desire: to become a doctor. A native of Kenya, who was raised in Fort Wayne, Ind., she wasn’t interested in “getting rich” but in healing the world, especially the underprivileged, maybe as a trauma surgeon for Doctors without Borders. However, during her undergraduate studies, God pulled Mbuguah — a cradle Catholic who was not religious — in another, unexpected direction: closer to him.

St. Patrick School in Chatham kicked off its yearlong celebration to mark the 150th anniversary of its opening in 1872 at a school-community Mass Sept. 19. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was main celebrant of the anniversary Mass as he led the school and parish in celebrating a century and a half of faith and learning. A reception followed in the Father Ed Hinds Parish Center.

The California legislature has overwhelmingly passed a bill that slanders the life and works of St. Junípero Serra. In part, the legislation falsely points to “the enslavement of both adults and children, mutilation, genocide, and assault on women as part of the mission period initiated and overseen by Father Serra.” In an essay published on the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal last week, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, called the legislation’s claims a “slander” against the saint, pushing a “false narrative” about the missions the saint founded. “None of that is true,” they write. “While there is much to criticize from this period, no serious historian has ever made such outrageous claims about St. Junípero Serra or the mission system.” As a matter of fact, Professor Gregory Orfalea, author of Journey to the Sun: Junípero Serra’s Dream and the Founding of California, published in 2014, writes, “To the Indian, he [Serra] was loving, enthusiastic, and spiritually and physically devoted.” Pope Francis canonized St. Junípero Serra in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 23, 2015, the first-ever canonization on American soil.

“You need to get help” or “I need to get help.” How many of us have said those words or have heard those words from someone we love, especially when that “someone” is a spouse, parent, child, or sibling and we have seen them suffering or deteriorating under the weight of an addiction?

Just one day after the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reflected on the day in his homily at the most recent youth Mass and prayer gathering in St. Peter the Apostle Church in Parsippany Sept. 12. He asked the teenagers — who were not born yet on the day of the attacks — what are some of the lessons they have learned about this tragic day in America’s history. One young person responded by answering “the importance of unity,” which was shown in abundance in the immediate days and weeks after the attacks.

The 9/11 Memorial Foundation of Chatham hosted a ceremony to honor the members of its community who died in the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and local clergy participated in the event that began with a walking procession at the Chatham Train Station where commuters, including those on the fateful day in 2001, take the train to travel to their jobs in New York City.

On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Franciscans serving at St. Bonaventure Church in Paterson led a memorial service for Franciscan Father Mychal Judge, a FDNY chaplain and former pastor of St. Joseph Church in West Milford, at his grave in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery here. He was the first recorded casualty of 9/11.

Over the last few weeks, there have been many devastating images in Afghanistan as the government in the Middle Eastern country collapsed and was taken over by the Taliban leaving those in the country in a perilous situation. The situation hits close to home — thousands of Afghan refugees have landed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst near Trenton — leaving all they know behind. To assist in this humanitarian effort, Catholic Charities agencies in New Jersey are collaborating with the Joint Base to meet the basic needs of temporary housing, food, medical care, and resettlement assistance.