‘Ring Out ‘For Life

CLIFTON  When a church bell tolls, it often announces the beginning of a new hour, a call to worship or a special celebration like a wedding.

This coming Sunday, church bells at parishes across the Diocese in Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties will ring to bring to the attention of all the importance of the sanctity of human life. Bishop Serratelli has asked that all 109 parishes in the Paterson Dio­cese participate in “Ring Out for Life” by ringing their church bells loud and clear for one minute at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7, which is Respect Life Sunday.

In his letter to parishes, Bishop Serratelli said, “Over the years, there has been much progress in terms of respect life as each of us does our own part. May our prayers that day keep this momentum moving forward with the help of God’s grace.”

Along with the ringing of the bells, the Bishop is asking parishes to distribute the “Prayer for Life and Dignity” [see page 8] to parishioners so that they can pray as the church bells sound on Sunday.

Father Kevin Corcoran, priest-secretary to the Bishop and diocesan vice chancellor, said, “As a Diocese, we will ring the church bells on Respect Life Sunday in all of our churches to show our public witness of praying and working together toward a more just society where life is protected and cherished from conception to natural death.”

The Right to Life Ministry in Rockaway, whose members are from St. Cecilia and Sacred Heart of Jesus parishes there, are happy this initiative has expanded to all 109 parishes of the Paterson Diocese, according to Father Zig Peplowski, pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in Rockaway. “Our church bells for the Catholic Church are used to signify the beginning of prayer. The ringing of the bells on Respect Life Sunday is an invitation for Catholics of the Diocese to enter into this prayer intention to promote the sacredness of human life,” he said.

While Sunday, Oct. 7 is Respect Life Sunday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) observes the entire month of October as Respect Life Month. This year’s theme is “Every Life: Cherished, Chosen, Sent.” The USCCB’s website, www.usccb.org has several resources for parishes that would like to promote Respect Life Month.

During Respect Life Month, St. Cecilia’s will be distributing information on the 2020 Project, which promotes the passage of the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

The N.J. Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state’s bishops, has approved a statewide postcard campaign urging state Senators and members of the Assembly to support the N.J. Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (A1686/S537). Parishioners throughout the Diocese will have the opportunity to sign postcards at weekend Masses Oct. 6-7 that will then be mailed to state legislators. If passed, this bill would protect babies in the womb at 20 weeks post-fertilization — that is five months and beyond from being aborted. This legislation has already been passed in 17 states.

The Rockaway Right to Life Ministry will also host Father Pawel Tomczyk, director of RCIA and youth ministry at St. Paul’s Inside the Walls in Madison, who is also adjunct professor of moral theology at Seton Hall University in South Orange, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. He will speak on “End of Life Moral Deci­sions,” which will discuss the Catholic Church’s teachings on the topic.

The Right to Life Ministry of Rockaway at St. Cecilia Parish sponsored the “Ring Out for Life” event last year with parishes in the Northern Morris County Deanery participating on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8.

“We have a very active pro-life ministry in Rockaway,” said Father Peplowski. “We are happy the Bishop has made this a diocesan-wide event. He has been a promoter for the cause of life. We hope the ringing of the bells blossoms throughout the state and even throughout the U.S.”

In addition to having a pro-life community evening, the Rockaway ministry is involved in many activities throughout the year. These include participation in the N.J. Right to Life raffle, a baby bottle collection for six organizations benefiting babies, and Life Runners, a pro-life organization, which runs for life throughout the country. They also host the Rockaway March for Life every January around Park Lake in Rockaway, which has grown in numbers every year.

The ministry meets every second Wednes­day of the month and its next meeting will be held on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at St. Clement Pope and Martyr Church in Rock­away Township.

Father Peplowski said, “The pro-life movement continues to grow every year and in this country, it’s needed more than ever. We hope to encourage other parishes in our deanery to start a pro-life ministry and to continue to spread the message on the sanctity of human life.”