Bishop Emeritus Serratelli among those honored for supporting Catholic Charities

Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli was honored on Nov. 9 for his nearly 16 years of strong leadership of the Paterson Diocese and Catholic Charities.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney recognized Bishop Serratelli with the Bishop’s Award at this year’s Caritas Gala — the largest annual fundraiser for Catholic Charities — at the Meadow Wood in Randolph. The honoree served as bishop of Paterson from 2004 to 2020, when Bishop Sweeney was named his successor.

Catholic Charities also honored the family of the late Bob Jacob, former executive director of Catholic Family and Community Services (CFCS), part of Catholic Charities; Paulist Father John J. (Seán) Foley; and Ron Jampel.

Bishop Serratelli was unable to attend this year’s Caritas. Father Kevin Corcoran, pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Chatham Township, accepted the award on his behalf.

Bishop Sweeney told Bishop Serratelli, “We are who we are today as Catholic Charities because of your leadership as a true shepherd in the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, caring for the sheep and teaching us by your example — proclaiming the word and putting the word into action.”

In a video, Bishop Serratelli accepted the award and said Catholic Charities “continues this great mission of Jesus, making the love of Christ real among us.” He thanked benefactors and Catholic Charities’ administration and staff.

Catholic Charities provides help and gives hope to thousands of people in need every day. It has more than 70 programs that support veterans, people in recovery, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, children of all ages, at-risk youth, senior citizens, immigrants, the food insecure, and families in crisis.

The family of Bob Jacob received the Rev. Msgr. Mark Giordani Award for CFCS. Jacob died in 2022. In his honor, his family created the Unmet Needs Fund. It will help those most in need: people struggling with food insecurity, families living in poverty, and individuals impacted by sudden crises.

Father Foley, a canon lawyer, received the Father Jack Wehrlen Award from the Department for Persons with Disabilities. He served the diocese in several periods of his varied ministry and started a social services agency in Manhattan.

Father Foley is a weekend assistant at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Oak Ridge, a neighborhood along the border of West Milford and Jefferson, and St. John Vianney Parish in the Stockholm neighborhood of Hardyston.

Jampel received the Jazz Priest Father Norman James O’Connor Award for Straight & Narrow, Catholic Charities’ substance-abuse-treatment program. Chairman of the Brick Housing Authority, he also lent his expertise to the ongoing reconstruction project of Straight & Narrow’s building at 410 Straight Street in Paterson, which was destroyed in a fire four years ago.

At the event, Scott Milliken, CEO of Catholic Charities, said, “Surrounded by friends, benefactors, and guests who have joined us at our Caritas Gala tonight, we uplift each other as we honor our deserving awardees, their remarkable work of charity, and loving support of our Catholic Charities mission.”