News - April 2015 RSS Feed

Bishop Serratelli helped break ground April 23 for the Giuliano House, a more than 5,000-square-foot group home by the diocesan Department for Persons with Disabilities (DPD) that will provide help and create hope for four individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is anticipated that the new group home — the agency’s first newly-constructed facility in 40 years — should be completed and open in its location on Weldon Road here by the end of the year.

While the fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine government forces and the terrorist attacks by ISIS dominate the headlines in newspapers and the TV nightly newscasts, there are many stories that aren’t being told.

Bishop Serratelli has appointed Sister of Christian Charity Joan Daniel Healy, current provincial superior of the Sisters of Christian Charity in Mendham, as new chancellor/delegate for religious, effective Sept. 8.

Donna Grieco felt it immediately, after walking into Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC) Church here for the first time almost 30 years ago. This longtime parishioner and staff member experienced then what the dynamic Morris County faith community has embodied for all of its 50-year history — a strong sense of faith, family, warmth and welcome — which it continues to hone today in efforts to be “aggressively friendly,” while expanding its evangelization efforts.

Hardly a day goes by without hearing the horrific news reports about Christians being persecuted for their faith in some part of the world. Pope Francis, concerned about the growing number of Christians giving their lives for the faith, called those murdered modern “Stephens.” St. Stephen was the first of the apostles to be killed for proclaiming Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior. He was stoned to death and is regarded as the Church’s first martyr for the faith.

I believe that I received the inspiration to become a Little Sister from my parents and grandparents. Growing up on the island of Tonga in the south Pacific, they always encouraged the children in our family to give our lives to God in whatever way they could. When I was in college, I tried to get rid of this longing to become a religious Sister and convince myself that it was just a foolish thought that I had. For three years I struggled between choosing to continue with my life as it was or to give my life to God.

For our young people, living in the days of no television, no cell phones, no Internet, coal furnaces and peddlers going through the streets places their grandparents and great grandparents in the Dark Ages. Within the last two generations, the rapid advances in technology have left their mark on every aspect of modern life from engineering to entertainment, from communication to commerce. We purchase one cell phone and, within less than a year, there is a more advanced model on the market.

Deacon Peter discusses the Permanent Diaconate ministry outlined in three areas: "The Word, The Altar, and Charity." Deacons prepare with training and development during a five year period ending with a Master's Degree from Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall. Any man interested in the Permanent Diaconate should should speak his wife and pastor and then contact Deacon Peter Cisaro at 973-437-9738.

Enjoy this personal vocation story of Sr Guerline Joseph, a young Salesian Sister who lives and works in our diocese.I am Sister Guerline Joseph, a Salesian Sister of St John Bosco. My early years as a child were spent in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and I moved to New Jersey when I was ten years old. My parents are very hard workers, a quality I believe that my sibling and I inherited from them.

Catholics who have contributed to Partners in Faith can have a sense a pride when they visit 153 Washington Place here because they have built something special — a safe haven for women to meet, share and grow.

Supporting Catholic education in significant ways is an important aspect of the Partners in Faith campaign. As pledges are paid, the diocese will actively implement the parts of the Case Statement supporting Catholic schools. Part of this will be the implementation of policies for grant making to use the proceeds of the Catholic Schools Matching Gift Endowment.

It sounds almost like a scene from a movie. In the attic of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here, as renovations got under way, more than a century-old handmade tools are found, dusty but fully intact. These tools were likely used by the neighborhood blacksmith located on Grand Street at the time of the original construction of the cathedral.

Thanks to missionaries, the seeds of our Catholic faith have been planted all over the world. In the case of Dr. Carolyn Woo, president of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), it was the Maryknoll Sisters, who made a difference in her faith life. Raised in Hong Kong, which has a Catholic population of only 3 percent, Woo points to the teaching and example of the Maryknoll Sisters as her inspiration to venture to America.

Today, the essential work of the Catholic Church, rooted in faith and tradition, is needed more than ever in a world that is changing at a lightning-fast pace. Keeping faith traditions while meeting the ever-increasing needs of its people, the Paterson Diocese has worked tirelessly to plan for a better tomorrow by ensuring that the Church can continue its good and holy work.

Scholars who critically study the origins of the Christian faith ultimately come to the same conclusion. The Church would never have come into existence had the first followers of Jesus not been totally convinced that Jesus had been truly raised from the dead. Believers steadfastly witnessed to the Resurrection, even to the point of death. Unbelievers relentlessly challenged it. The Resurrection of Jesus is the very center of the Christian faith. (cf. Gary R. Habermas, The Resurrection Appearances of Jesus, (4Truth.net)