‘Joy and the energy are infectious’

PATERSON  Despite following the social distancing measures set by the state, which allowed only a minimum number of guests inside the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here for the ordination/installation Mass of Bishop Kevin Sweeney on July 1, it was anything but a subdued affair.

The joy and excitement at having a new bishop even bubbled over onto the streets of the city as family members of the Neocatechumenal Way from two Paterson parishes chanted “Alleluia” loudly and clapped in celebration with the sounds of tambourines, trumpets and drums resonating repeatedly throughout the Mass and after it when the new bishop came to greet them. A huge banner welcoming Paterson’s new bishop hung outside the Cathedral.

‘Joy and the energy are infectious’ said Msgr. Geno Sylva, rector of the Cathedral and diocesan vicar for special projects. “As we were in procession to enter the Cathedral for his ordination and installation, as he saw groups of police officers and he ran to greet them. And then, when I had pointed out Paterson’s Fire Chief, he ran across Main Street, chasuble flying in the air, to thank him and his department for all that they had done to assist everyone during the pandemic. And all the while, he was engaging with people, Bishop Sweeney had a smile from ear to ear. His joy for Christ and the Gospel has already inspired me. His authentic love for God’s people is so evident.”

A son of Irish immigrants, Bishop Sweeney shares a similar story with so many in the Paterson Diocese, whose family members or they themselves came from another country to the United States with the hope of living the American Dream. Before Pope Francis named him as the eighth bishop of Paterson, Bishop Sweeney served for 10 years as pastor at St. Michael Parish in Brooklyn, which is predominately a Hispanic community. In the new bishop’s remarks at the end of his ordination/installation Mass, he spoke about that experience with great zeal for his parishioners. The new Bishop, in his coat of arms, has as his episcopal motto, God is love — Dios es amor.

Maria Nunez, administrative assistant in the diocesan Vocations Office, was lector at the installation Mass, proclaiming the second reading in Spanish. “Bishop Sweeney’s words in Spanish were said with such passion and heartfelt knowledge that my tears just flowed. He expressed his knowledge of knowing the Spanish-speaking people as a people of deep faith, love of God and of his Mother Mary and as a people who come to this country with no money but a great faith and a generous heart for service. He said they learned the faith from their mothers and fathers in relation to his own learning of values from his own parents.”

Watching the ordination/installation Mass on livestreaming from the diocesan website at her home was Mary DiGaetano, a parishioner of St. Anthony of Padua in Passaic, who will turn 90 this October. She was seven years old when the Diocese of Paterson was created and received the Sacrament of Confirmation from the first bishop of the Diocese, Bishop Thomas McLaughlin, She has met all seven of the Diocese’s other bishops. About Bishop Sweeney, DiGaetano said, “I am the daughter of Italian immigrants, who didn’t know a word of English. I grew up in Passaic and related to the new bishop speaking about his family. He is young and he spoke with such enthusiasm as he begins his ministry. He has been involved in priesthood formation, has a great understanding of the ethnic Church and he seems like a great fit for our Diocese. Beyond being a good priest, he just seems like a good person.”

Attending both the vesper service and the ordination/installation Mass was Father Cesar Jaramillo, parochial vicar at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany who also serves in the Diocesan Tribunal as Defender of the Bond. The priest, who celebrated the third anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood on the same day as the bishop’s ordination/installation said, “As a son of immigrants and an immigrant myself, it was particularly touching to hear him acknowledge the many gifts which the Latino community contributes to the Church in the U.S. Our rich faith and strong family values imbue our local and universal Church with a reinvigorating force for the present and with renewed hope for the future.”

In the new Bishop’s closing remarks, he also spoke about the importance for Catholics to affirm life to all, most especially those in the womb.

Father Michael Rodak, pastor of St. Jude Parish, Hamburg, who attended vesper service, said, “His humility is definitely evident and he has a willingness and great desire to the ministry that is ahead of him. I have been pleased by his support for life and he has made it an important issue in both his first message to the Diocese in April and at his ordination/installation. Attending the March for Life in Washington, D.C. for more than 25 years, the new Bishop will always be welcomed to march with us. It is very important in our day and age in the midst of everything that is happening in the world that we affirm that all life is very important.”

Proclaiming the first reading at the Ordination/Installation Mass was Sister of Christian Charity Mary Edward Spohrer, who is finishing five years of ministry as the provincial of her order and is the former diocesan chancellor/delegate for religious. “Bishop Kevin is approachable, available, compassionate and eager to begin following God’s call as Bishop of the Diocese of Paterson, said Sister Mary Edward. “I believe that his gifts of nature and of grace will enrich our Diocese, and I look forward to us, as women and men in consecrated life, sharing his hopes and dreams, supporting him in his ministry and offering our charisms for the spread of God’s love in every aspect of diocesan life.”

Eniola Honsberger, diocesan director of family life at St. Paul’s Inside the Walls: The Diocese’s Evangelization Center at Bayley-Ellard in Madison, said she looks forward to working with the new bishop. She participated in the vesper service representing Nigerian-American culture in the Diocese. Honsberger said, “With his experience as a parish priest, I look forward to his insights on family life through the lens of decades serving the parish. He seems to be a humble and joyful man, excited for the opportunity and to make the Diocese of Paterson his new home. I loved hearing him open up when speaking of Brooklyn and his family.”

Scott Milliken, CEO of diocesan Catholic Charities, said, “I was extremely impressed with Bishop Sweeney’s interactions with the people, running through the street to greet everyone he could and his dedication to family. As the CEO of Catholic Charities in our Diocese, I am grateful for his commitment to the poor and look forward to being his instrument in helping those in our community who need assistance, being the only face of Christ some will ever see, providing help and creating hope.”

Ivannia Vega-McTighe, director of Family Faith Formation at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, who was part of the committee that coordinated the Mass, said, “Along with all of the other ushers, I was moved to tears, because of the passionate solidarity with our community that Bishop Sweeney expressed. He repeated several times, ‘Juntos como hermanos, miembros de una Iglesia, vamos caminando, al encuentro del Senor.’ This popular hymn holds so much meaning in the Hispanic community. We are a pilgrim people, moving forward together, united as brothers and sisters, and needing the support and presence of our Church. This is the ‘art of accompaniment’ that Pope Francis speaks about so often. It is clear that Bishop Sweeney will be walking with our community, which is overwhelmed with joy and hope. Our parish leaders look forward to supporting him and working alongside him as missionary disciples, so that together we can build up the Church of Paterson.”