The confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a mother of seven children and a devout Catholic, to the Supreme Court of the United States to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, should be smooth sailing. After all, she is one of the most highly qualified judges in America and a more than worthy successor to Justice Ginsberg.

The Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth marked the 160th anniversary of the founding of their order with a Mass at the Motherhouse in Convent Station in Holy Family Chapel Sept. 26. Bishop Kevin Sweeney celebrated the anniversary Mass with Sisters of Charity attending following CDC guidelines by wearing masks and social distancing.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney celebrated Mass marking the World Day of Migrants and Refugees Sept. 27 at St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln Park. Every Sunday at 7 p.m., St. Joseph Parish celebrates Mass in Spanish for the migrant community. The Diocesan Migrant Ministry serves this community through pastoral work and social work.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney celebrated Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Paterson Sept. 27 to honor the parish’s patron, St. Michael, whose feast day is Sept. 29 along with St. Gabriel and St. Raphael, the archangels.

On Sept. 21, 16 Spanish-speaking leaders and ministers from around the Diocese received their Leadership Cer­tificate in Hispanic Ministry with Speciali­zation in Evangelization. It was a three-year program, which was a collaboration between St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison and St. Elizabeth’s University’s DePaul Center for Spirituality and Ministry in Con­vent Station. Bishop Sweeney, with Helen Streubert, president of St. Elizabeth University, presented the certificates in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson.

Honoring the lives of two martyrs — St. Lorenzo Ruiz and St. Pedro Calungsod — from the Philippines, Filipinos from around the Diocese gathered for the annual Diocesan celebration of the Filipino Martyr Mass, which has become a tradition. The Mass was held in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson Sept. 26. Bishop Kevin Sweeney was the principal celebrant of the Mass, which was concelebrated by several priests of the Diocese, including Filipino-born priests. The Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM) coordinated the Mass.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney helped the Shrine of St. Joseph in Stirling break ground on its much-anticipated St. Joseph Shrine Pilgrim Chapel on Sept. 15. It will provide a focal point of devotion for pilgrims for prayer to Jesus through the adoptive father of Jesus and contemplation of his role in Salvation history. With expected completion this spring, the 1,500-square-foot wooden chapel will feature as its centerpiece a large luminescent “Life of St. Joseph” mosaic of Joseph holding the Christ Child.

A few new faces that are greeting students returning to religious education classrooms this fall at St. Luke Parish in Long Valley represent a spiritual blast from the distant past: striking portraits of 12 saints, including some Apostles, that are giving these young people silent — yet timeless — witness to the Gospel. Emily Meehan, 18, a St. Luke parishioner, and a team of her talented friends, painted these 12 portraits in the traditional style of religious icons over the summer to complete her service project for her Gold Award — the highest honor a girl can earn in the Girl Scouts.

How do we become the people we are? Some philosophers would say that we all, eventually, ask the basic/fundamental questions: Who am I? How did I get here? Why am I here? For those of us who become serious about our faith and come to believe that Scripture and the Church can guide us to the answers to those questions, we can usually point or look back to those who taught us or who introduced us to Jesus. While it is a biological fact that none us would be (here) without our parents, so many of us come to realize that our parents were not only God’s instrument to give us the gift of life, but they were the ones who brought us to Jesus and gave us new life in Baptism.

Each month Frank Tinari edits his newsletter, “Family and Pro-Life News Briefs for Catholics” to spread awareness on the most important life issues facing the nation. His newsletter is in parish bulletins throughout the Paterson Diocese and state and on the Diocese’s website. It is also sent via email to those who request it. It features news briefs from several news sources and organizations that focus on life issues whether it be about abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research and more. The newsletter also touches upon family life issues such as natural family planning and strengthening marriage.

In our nation, there is “a new orthodoxy that is actively hostile to religion,” warned U.S. Attorney General William Barr when he spoke through a pre-recorded video at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast (NCPB) on Sept. 23 during which he accepted its Christifideles Laici Award. Named for Pope St. John Paul II’s 1988 exhortation on the lay vocation, the award honors lay Catholics who promote the New Evangelization and the Church’s mission in their life and work.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) Parish in Swartswood welcomed Bishop Sweeney who made a pastoral visit there and celebrated Mass marking the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time on Sept. 20.

Marking World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated Sept. 27 world-wide, Bishop Kevin Sweeney celebrated Mass at St. Joseph Church in Newton with the migrant community Sept. 20.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney made a pastoral visit to Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Mount Arlington Sept. 19 where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Inclusion of a reference to “reproductive rights” in a United Nations resolution on combating the coronavirus has the Vatican up in arms. Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, called the resolution “deeply concerning and divisive” in remarks he made Sept. 11 after the UN General Assembly in New York endorsed the resolution, entitled “Comprehensive and coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Msgr. James T. Mahoney will retire Sept. 30 after 47 years of active ministry, including the past 16 years serving as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia. Msgr. Mahoney leaves behind a wealth of experience, insight and hard work that will continue to benefit the Diocese — both on the Chancery Office and parish levels — for years to come.

Every year, the U.S. Bishops designate the first Sunday in October as Respect Life Sunday with the entire month of October dedicated to Respect Life issues. This year, the celebration of Respect Life Sunday will be observed on Oct. 4. Under the theme, “Live the Gospel of Life, to Imitate Christ and Follow in His Footsteps,” there are several resources available and events for parishes and the faithful to participate in during Respect Life Month to remind all that Catholics believe all life is precious from conception to natural death.

Bishop Sweeney has appointed Msgr. T. Mark Condon as diocesan Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia effective Thursday, Oct. 1, taking over this key leadership post from Msgr. James T. Mahoney, who retires the day before, Sept. 30, after 47 years of active ministry as a diocesan priest, which includes serving since 2005 as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia. The Bishop made the announcement today, Sept. 24, at the Chancery Office in Clifton.

The Bishop’s Annual Appeal is now known as the Diocesan Ministries Appeal and this past weekend, the Appeal kicked off at Masses in parishes throughout the Diocese, giving the faithful once again the opportunity to support the good works of the Church of Paterson. Under the theme, “Love Thy Neighbor,” the Appeal invites parishioners to help fund ministries in the Diocese of Paterson.

Last Saturday, Father Philip-Michael Tangorra, pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) Parish in Branchville, held a group of 30 parishioners in rapt attention as he presented a class about the First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. He said that this, the first ecumenical council in Church history, ushered in a new era by uniting a divided Church with a universal proclamation, which reaffirmed that “Jesus is true God and true man.”