Pizza with the Bishop

SPARTA  From a corner of the crowded faculty lounge of Pope John XXIII Regional High School here on a recent Monday evening, a tall young woman asked Bishop Serratelli an insightful question: “How do you focus on prayer?”

That question came from Zofia Schreiber, a Pope John sophomore and one of 47 women from the Diocese and beyond, who attended the “Pizza Night with the Bishop” vocations-awareness event for young women with Bishop Serratelli on Sept. 25 at St. Pope John. The participants received encouragement for discerning their vocations — be it religious, married or single. They also had the opportunity to ask the Bishop — exhibiting his humor, charm and down-to-earth personality — and representatives of nine local religious communities questions about faith, life and vocations, which he said must include praying to discern God’s call.

“You can focus on prayer by centering on a [religious] image, the Eucharist or some aspect of a Gospel story. It’s important that you remain quiet and know that you are in the presence of God,” said Bishop Serratelli, who has led “Pizza” events with young men for several years. He scanned the faculty lounge and told the young women, “Look at the variety of religious orders here. The Church has been blessed by their many charisms [special God-given gifts and abilities used to serve others]. These are some of the many ways for women to become leaders in their communities,” he said.

Starting in Pope John’s gym, the “Pizza” event first helped nourish the young women’s souls with prayer, Bishop Serratelli’s reflection on vocations through the lens of Christ’s Miracle of the Feeding of the Multitudes and Eucharistic Adoration. Afterward, participants walked downstairs to the faculty lounge, where they nourished their appetites with pizza. There, they asked the Bishop and religious sisters questions, during the event, which was sponsored by Pope John and a diocesan vocations committee, comprised of representatives of various local religious communities.

“I’m open to it [a vocation, including as a religious sister]. I don’t know where I’m going yet — toward a vocation that I can fully commit to,” Schreiber of St. Joseph Parish, Newton, told The Beacon after Bishop Serratelli answered her question about prayer. She also recalled fond memories of spending time as a child with the Salesian Sisters at Camp Auxilium in Newton. “I would like to serve in the missions — going out and helping others. Maybe I’ll go on retreats to see how it [religious life] is,” she said.

Sister of Christian Charity Joan Daniel, diocesan chancellor and delegate for religious, opened the “Pizza” event by welcoming the young women, followed by a reading of a vocations prayer, written by Catholic theologian Thomas Merton.

In his reflection, Bishop Serratelli told participants that our Baptismal call gives us a “special vocation as a follower of Jesus. We all need to find what’s the best way to be a disciple of Christ.”

“Our relationship is being in partnership with Jesus. He invites us into his work in the world. We can do much more than we thought [with God],” said Bishop Serratelli, who noted that God partnered with figures in the Bible, such as Moses, who led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and into the Promised Land. “The vocation of every Christian is to help Jesus change the world for the better. He is at work in the world today through us,” he said.

Father Benjamin Williams, a Pope John chaplain and teacher and coordinator of that night’s “Pizza” event, led participants in Eucharistic Adoration. Other priests present that evening were Msgr. Kieran McHugh, Pope John’s president, and Father Brian DiTullio, also a chaplain and teacher at the Sussex County high school.

Then, the young women gathered in the faculty lounge to enjoy pizza and salad. After they listened to representatives from local religious communities speak about their various charisms — or areas of specialization, which included education, parish work, healthcare, prayer, care for the elderly, the missions and social justice. The sisters represented the following orders: the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, the Salesian Sisters, the Benedictines, the Religious Sisters Filippini, the Sisters of Christian Charity, the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Sisters of Charity, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, and the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell. Also there were staff and residents of Casa Guadalupe, a diocesan house of discernment for women in Clifton.

The young women then posed questions not only to Bishop Serratelli, but also to religious sisters in attendance, such as, “When did you first realize you were meant to be a sister?” and “How do you know if God is calling you?”

After the question-and-answer session, Celine Zalamea, a senior at Villa Walsh Academy, Morristown, told The Beacon that she has been considering a religious vocation.

“I have an interest in praying and living in small communities. I want to look at all the different experience that you can have [as a religious],” Zalamea said. “I have an interest to teach others like the Filippini Sisters at ‘The Villa,’ who are very articulate.”

The first “Pizza” event for women with Bishop Serratelli was devised by a revitalized vocations committee of religious communities that serve the Diocese in its mission to promote “the joy that can be found in a life dedicated to Jesus Christ” in religious life, said Sister Joan Daniel, a committee member.

“It was an amazing experience for the nine religious communities of Sisters present to see 47 young women from almost all of our Catholic high schools arrive to spend an evening in prayer, adoration and reflection and then eat pizza and salad together,” said Sister Joan Daniel, who thanked Msgr. McHugh and Father Williams for their hospitality. “Also, it was so inspiring to see how attentive the teenagers were throughout the evening.”

The committee has planned another gathering for young women for Monday, Nov. 13 at Villa Walsh Academy, Morristown, from 7 to 9 p.m., hosted by the Religious Teachers Filippini, Sister Joan Daniel said.