Several innovative educators and students of the Diocese stepped into the national spotlight from June 17–19, when they made presentations about how to integrate technology in the classroom to spark high-level thinking, problem solving, collaboration and creativity across subjects with a Catholic worldview at the regional National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) New Directions STREAM 3.0 Conference with the Diocese in Parsippany.

Dressed just like they were on their First Holy Communion day, 125 children from the Paterson Diocese came together with Bishop Serratelli for the Annual Eucharistic Catechesis at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on June 23, the Feast of Corpus Christi. The event, first created by the Bishop in 2006, highlights the important gift of receiving Jesus through the Eucharist for the first time.

There is transformative power traveling to an unknown land. Sometimes it’s the scenery or the surrounding conditions. Mostly, it is the people of that country who can forever touch a person’s heart. For a group of young adults from St. Michael Parish in Netcong, they have returned home to share what they experienced on a life-changing mission trip to the African Great Lakes region.

Bishop Serratelli on June 22 helped celebrate the 40th anniversary of Good Shepherd Parish in Andover — a dynamic, welcoming rural faith community that continues its longstanding tradition of reaching out to the wider community and being inclusive of people of all ages and backgrounds.

Thanks to the efforts of Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and other Republican members of the House of Representatives, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced earlier this month that it will discontinue funding for research that uses the body parts of aborted babies by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It will also apply a rigorous ethical review process to outside research it funds. Prior to this announcement, the NIH was estimated to spend $120 million on fetal tissue research in fiscal year 2019.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Monica Parish in Sussex June 15 and celebrated the vigil Mass for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. During the Mass, the Bishop administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people of the parish.

The reality that young people are leaving the Catholic faith and instead choosing to identify as non-religious at alarming rates represents a crisis for the Church but also an opportunity for parishes in the U.S. to discover and put in place innovative ways to attract and keep these young faithful and form them into disciples. These “outside the box” parish initiatives must aim to give youth a place where they feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, start forming them younger — as early as middle school — and help the faith community clearly articulate why its members believe in Christ.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Stephen Magyar Church in Passaic June 16 where he celebrated Mass to mark the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity with Auxiliary Bishop Frenec Cserhati, of Estergom-Budapest, Hungary, who is in charge of the pastoral care of Hungarians living abroad.

When Mayme Puccio was taking care of her husband, Joe, at his bedside during his final days, it was one of the most difficult moments in her life for her to witness. Just months prior, her mother passed away at 94 years old. During this time, she saw the importance of prayers and spiritual consolation needed for those who were dying. Puccio is now on a mission. She hopes to start an apostolate for the sick and the dying.

The quiet of the Adoration Chapel at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany feels like a world away from the hustle and bustle of suburban life outside and away from daily troubles. Its rows of wooden pews welcome the dozens of adorers who visit throughout the day to pray before the Blessed Sacrament on the altar. They sit or kneel with hands folded or read prayers or Scripture in silence. One woman listens to recited prayers on her iPhone through earbud headphones.

More often than not, commencement speakers give graduates advice based on the speaker’s life experiences and what they can do with that newly-minted diploma as they enter the business world. But what about giving graduates advice about their faith as they step into the secular world?

A movement in religious education started to take root last year in several parishes of the Diocese with the new Family Faith Formation Program, developed by a local parish religious education director, that helps entire families center their lives around their faith and the summit of our faith: the Mass. Endorsed by Bishop Serratelli, the initiative encourages parents and children to attend Mass together; learn more about their faith, both together and in age-appropriate settings; and share their faith with each other.

Bishop Serratelli presided at the Diocese’s annual Priests Jubilee Mass on June 4 in St. Patrick Church in Chatham to celebrate the significant ordination anniversaries — 25, 40, 50 and 60 years — that 16 priests, who serve or have served the Church of Paterson, are celebrating this year. During the well-attended liturgy, the Bishop thanked almighty God for the gift of the jubilarians’ priesthoods.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. James of the Marches Church in Totowa June 9 where he celebrated Mass for the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost is the feast of the universal Church which commemorates the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ on the ancient Jewish festival date called the “feast of weeks” or Pentecost. Pentecost is sometimes referred to as the birthday of the Church. During the Mass, the Bishop also administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people of the parish.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Ss. Cyril and Methodius Parish in Clifton on May 30 to celebrate Mass for the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, a holy day of obligation, which is marked on the 40th day after Easter. It commemorates Jesus’ ascension into heaven.

A client walks through the aisles of the Father English Food Pantry in Paterson, selecting the food items she needs to feed her family. She places them in shopping bags with the words “thank you” printed on them in bright red lettering. For each and every client, there are endless “thank you” moments with more than 25,000 visits each year by the needy, making the Catholic Charities food pantries some of the busiest in the state.

Challenges to religious freedom continue to emerge on an almost daily basis in our nation. That’s why it is so important for the U.S. Catholic Church to remain resolute in addressing them. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in his address to U.S. bishops in 2012, warned them of “Grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism” where there were “certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion.”

The director shouted “Go!” as the camera started to roll in a television studio at the headquarters of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on May 17 in Washington, D.C. Even the bright lights did not rattle the confidence of Eric Wilsusen, diocesan director of child and youth protection, as he sat at a table in the studio to help drive home a significant point — speak with one message and in one voice — during a webinar on the topic of crisis communication and management.

To make mastering English easier for foreign-born priests, thanks to a generous benefactor, some of these priests are enrolled in a professional development class to sharpen their skills in the English language. The program has enabled foreign-born priests to better proclaim the Gospel and their homilies in English.

Bishop Serratelli administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people at the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II, also known as Holy Rosary Church in Passaic. During the visit, the Bishop also celebrated Mass for the Seventh Sunday of Easter on June 2.