Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court took up a case that will have far-reaching effects on our religious liberty. At issue are the Blaine Amendments, currently the law of the land in 37 states, mandating that no government funds benefit religious schools.

For anyone who drives on Route 3 East, Holy Face Monastery in Clifton is a well-known landmark. A steady stream of visitors stop at the monastery every day to pray the rosary or attend other devotions in the chapel, its outdoor shrines and Stations of the Cross. That is why when two large statues — one of Our Lady of Fatima and the other of the Sacred Heart of Jesus — went missing earlier this month, many people took notice.

“Work hard” and “dream big” were some words of advice to youth in the at-risk programs at Diocesan Catholic Charities during a Three Kings celebration inviting veterans and community leaders to speak with the children and teens at the Father English Community Center (FECC) in Paterson.

Once again, the parishes of St. Francis of Assisi in the Haskell section of Wanaque and St. Catherine of Bologna, Ringwood, will host “Night to Shine,” a prom for men and women with special needs, on Friday, Feb. 7, at St. Francis, starting at 5 p.m. This past October, St. Francis committed to continuing the loving spirit of ‘Night to Shine’ year-round by starting a chapter of an ecumenical youth ministry for people with physical and developmental disabilities.

The 500,000 pro-life activists who descended on the nation’s capital on Jan. 24 to demonstrate in the 47th annual March for Life, like Dan Flaherty of Long Valley, got a huge jolt of encouragement from President Donald Trump, who made history that day as the first U.S. president to attend the yearly national protest against the evils of abortion. The appearance of the president — who declared, “We are here for a very simple reason: to defend the right of every child, born and unborn, to fulfill their God-given potential” in a speech before the March — is also credited with inspiring a significant boost in attendance this year.

Did you know that Religious Freedom Day is celebrated in America annually? It has been observed on Jan. 16 by every U.S. president since 1993 and is marked on that specific day for good reason. On Jan. 16, 1786, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, authored by Thomas Jefferson, was enacted. This law was the foundation on which principles were developed that would later shape many state constitutions as well as the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution on religious freedom.

It took but an instant for Anthony’s “silly and smiley” personality to capture Katie Church’s attention three years ago. Every day, the sprightly four-year-old boy visited a compound run by the Salesian religious order in his impoverished village of Masaya in Nicaragua, where Church and fellow missioners tutored and played with him and other local children. Anthony was short but still wanted to do what the older kids did, so Church lifted him up to the basketball hoop so he could take a shot with the ball.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Agnes Parish in Paterson Jan. 19 where he celebrated Mass for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Bishop’s visit also came near the feast day (Jan. 21) of the parish’s patron, St. Agnes, virgin and martyr, who is patron saint of girls, chastity, Girl Scouts, engaged couples, virgins and rape victims.

This year is a special year for Catholic Charities’ Department for Persons with Disabilities as it celebrates the 50th anniversary of Murray House’s annual dinner dance. The celebratory event will be held at the Brownstone in Paterson from 6 to 11 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 16. To mark this milestone, DPD will be presenting lifetime achievement awards to dozens of recipients to celebrate its history and give thanks to those who have made a lasting impact through their support to the agency through the years.

The reviews are in: the Our Lady’s Face line of beauty products keeps skin soft, clean and supple and helps fade wrinkles. But what is the secret ingredient of these all-natural skin-care products, made by the young women of Casa Guadalupe in Clifton: coconut oil, aloe vera, or essential oils, such as lavender? Jennifer Dircio, who has lived at the diocesan house of discernment and prayer for women here since May, thinks the “something special” is “prayer”: intentions that they offer over the beauty products — a cleanser, toner, a facial scrub, a moisturizer and an eye serum — as they make them.

A group of 10 adults from St. Michael Parish in Netcong — working professionals including a nurse, a deacon and his wife, and some who were grandparents — journeyed together for one week earlier this month to Kingston, Jamaica to serve with the Missionaries of the Poor.

Next week there is reason to celebrate not once, but twice. It is not only Catholic Schools Week in our Diocese and across the country but it is also National School Choice Week in America. That these two week-long celebrations run concurrently show how parochial schools and school choice are inseparably linked to each other to provide parents with the opportunity to give their children the best education possible. That’s true educational freedom.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton Jan. 12 where he celebrated Mass marking the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

January is Poverty Awareness Month, an initiative to highlight the ongoing plight that so many Americans experience every day. More than 40 million people in the United States live in poverty, affecting people of all races, backgrounds and ages from the cities to rural communities. In the state of New Jersey, almost one million people live in poverty.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Corpus Christi Parish in Chatham Township where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Jan. 11. The feast commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist and it occurs the first Sunday after the Epiphany.

Three immigration lawyers came to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on Jan. 12 for a seminar on “Know about Immi­gration.” All gave a key piece of advice to undocumented and documented people: secure the services of an attorney right away, if they are faced with urgent legal or immigration matters. About 250 people from the cathedral parish and around Paterson came to St. John’s Rodimer Center last Sunday afternoon to get some insight from a panel of lawyers from the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey.

By the busloads from diocesan high schools and from parish youth groups in Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties, young people will be a major part of the contingent going to the 47th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. Jan. 24. They will be attending the March to overturn the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal.

In addition to the hundreds of thousands from around the country who will trek to Washington, D.C., for the annual March for Life, on Jan. 24, thousands will attend similar events in major cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver and here in New Jersey in Trenton. Before the March for Life in Los Angeles, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels will host a requiem Mass for the millions of unborn who have been aborted since Roe vs. Wade in 1973.

A federal rule change once again allows faith-based adoption agencies to receive federal funding without being required to place children with same-sex couples. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a religious freedom legal group, welcomed the move.

Lucas Folan, 20, and other young men of the Diocese visited Domus Bartimaeus House of Discernment in Boonton on Saturday to listen for God’s possible call to the priesthood, not only by receiving the Eucharist at Mass and praying silently in Adoration but also by engaging in lively conversations about vocations, the seminary and priestly life.