The faith community of St. Joseph Parish in West Milford welcomed Bishop Serratelli, who served as main celebrant and homilist of the noon Mass to mark the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time on Nov. 18.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. James of the Marches Church in Totowa and celebrated the vigil Mass for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Nov. 17.

Understanding the message of life loud and clear, the faithful from across the Diocese proudly came together to pray for the sacredness of all human life at the annual diocesan Respect Life Mass held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson Nov. 17. Bishop Serratelli was principal celebrant of the Mass with many diocesan priests as concelebrants. Deacons also participated in the Mass along with Knights of Columbus councils from throughout the Diocese.

Today, Americans of all faiths will gather with family members at the table to celebrate a Thanksgiving feast, giving thanks to God for all they have been blessed with in their lives. Unfortunately, as with other religious-based holidays, our secular society has tried to turn Thanksgiving Day into just a day about football games, stuffing ourselves with turkey and pumpkin pie and ingraining in our minds that the Christmas gift-buying season is in full swing with several stores open today — rather than focusing on the true meaning this day has from its humble beginnings in Plymouth, Mass.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Thomas of Aquin Parish in Ogdensburg Nov. 10 where he celebrated the 5 p.m. vigil Mass for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Every year, some middle school history classes at All Saints Academy (ASA) in Parsippany keep the study of the Westward Expansion of the U.S. in motion — with some nice sets of wheels. They are tasked to build a miniature Conestoga wagon — like the ones that carried the pioneers across the Great Plains in the 19th century — but with a modern twist: constructing them with recyclable materials. Students then test the stability of the wagons by pulling them across the classroom floor.

Every human life is a gift from God and staunchly committed to this belief, the Paterson Diocese Federation Knights of Columbus Councils will once again host the annual diocesan Respect Life Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 17. Bishop Serratelli will be the main celebrant with priests from the Diocese invited to concelebrate. Deacons are also invited to serve at the Mass.

With prayer and passion, Dana Catherine, a Catholic singer-songwriter, strums her guitar and sings, “Lord, I Need You” at the side of the altar in Our Lady of the Magnificat Church (OLM) in Kinnelon during a special evening with Eucharistic Adoration on Oct. 29. All the while, she never stops gazing on the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance on the altar, graced with having seen first-hand the miraculous healing power of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament — as her mother also can attest.

The phone rings from central dispatch on the afternoon of Nov. 9 with terrible news: a collision on Rt. 206 in Chester Township here has taken the lives of a grandmother and her 5-year-old granddaughter. Immediately, Msgr. Raymond Lopatesky hangs up the phone, dresses in his clerical garb and heads out the door — ready to lend a willing ear or comforting word to law enforcement officers on scene and to the victims’ family as Chester Police chaplain. So it’s no surprise that police from Chester and elsewhere, diocesan clergy and local public officials turned up on a cold Nov. 10 — a day after the crash — on a street corner in the rural township for the renaming of Meadow Lane to “Father Ray Lopatesky Rd.”

Where they once worshipped, they were honored. Twenty-one fallen parishioners of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson — who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War I — were fondly remembered on Nov. 11, the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended “the war to end all wars.”

Another victory for our religious liberty and conscience rights was won last week when the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Treasury, and Labor released two updated rules concerning conscience protections for organizations and individuals in relation to the Obamacare contraception mandate.

During the month of October, parishioners of St. Vincent Martyr Parish in Madison collected all kinds of necessities for seminarians studying for the priesthood at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange; Domus Bartimaeus, Diocesan House of Discernment in Boonton and at multiple parishes throughout the Diocese. The bags were filled with soap, belts, undershirts, socks, aftershave, laundry essentials and more. Pictured here are a few of the seminarians at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall with some of the bags that were delivered to them by St. Vincent’s parishioners.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Hardyston and celebrated the 9 a.m. Mass for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Nov. 4. During the Mass, seventh-graders who are students in the parish’s religious education program were present as part of “Class Mass.”

Catholic Charities presented awards on Nov. 3 to two staff members, a parish and a family for their longtime dedication and efforts “toiling tirelessly and joyfully” to assist its agencies in giving much-needed help and hope to the poor and marginalized at the 2018 Caritas Gala at the Birchwood Manor in Whippany.

Being a witness to the world as an example of God’s love was a prominent theme at the annual Diocesan celebration marking couples’ Silver and Gold wedding anniversaries held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here Nov. 4. Coordinated by the Diocesan Office of Family Life, Bishop Serratelli was the main celebrant of the Silver and Gold Mass with many priests from around the Diocese concelebrating the Mass that marked the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time. Joined by generations of family to celebrate this joyous occasion, which included children and grandchildren filling the cathedral, 109 couples celebrating their 25th, 50th, 60th, 62nd, 65th and 70th anniversaries, renewed their wedding vows before the Bishop.

“What are you fighting for?” is the catch phrase used by the University of Notre Dame in its public service announcements that air on NBC-TV during home games of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. Each one highlights the efforts of the Notre Dame community in making the world a better place. And that catch phrase, “What are you fighting for?” most certainly portrays the efforts by students at the University of Notre Dame to block pornography sites on the university’s Wi-Fi networks

It’s a question that could get a bishop in trouble with his flock: What is your favorite church in the Diocese? And yet Bishop Serratelli did not hesitate to give this firm answer to that question, when a young man asked him early last week: the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson — the “crown jewel” of the Paterson Diocese. That was among the many questions that the Bishop fielded about his life, including his priestly ministry, from inquisitive young men who attended the latest “Pizza Night with the Bishop” vocations awareness event on Oct. 23 at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit on Saturday, Oct. 27 to St. Cecilia Parish in Rockaway where he served as main celebrant of the vigil Mass for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

St. Matthew the Apostle Parish in Dover had the occasion this month to look backwards — celebrating its 30-year history of faith, fellowship and social justice outreach with a picnic on Oct. 14 — while also looking forward to a new era — welcoming Father Brian Quinn, its new pastor, who was installed by Bishop Serratelli at a Mass on Oct. 28.

The hashtag #DoverStrong describes the city of Dover’s resilience following a massive fire that left the corner of West Blackwell Street and North Warren Street in ruins. The seven-alarm fire Oct. 22 ravaged five buildings in the downtown business district. Seven businesses were destroyed as were many apartments, sparking an immediate outpouring of community support in the Morris County city.