News - December 2016 RSS Feed

Bishop Serratelli made his annual Christmas Eve pastoral visit to Straight and Narrow, an agency of diocesan Catholic Charities, leading a prayer service and blessing clients currently in recovery at the drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Paterson.

Marking the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord on Christmas Eve, Bishop Serratelli celebrated the Mass at 9 p.m. for parishioners of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson at the Bishop Rodimer Center, next to the cathedral.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Catherine of Bologna Church in Ringwood Dec. 25, Christmas Day.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Joseph Parish in Passaic where he celebrated the Midnight Mass for the Nativity of the Lord Dec. 25. The Passaic parish is a Polish community and many of the parishioners dressed in native garb from Poland.

During one week recently, the Prayer Chalice for Vocations of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Vernon occupied a prominent spot in the Poole household: on a prayer table in the spare room next to religious images of Jesus and Mary. Even though it rested quietly on that table for a while, the chalice, which sits in a wooden box, prompted lots of questions among family members about life, God and his call for some to a religious vocation.

It’s always great to end one year and start another with good news. The good news comes from the Coming Home network, which is dedicated to serving Catholic converts. It reports that at the end of this year, it will have a record-breaking membership with more than 5,000 new members.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Mary Church here where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Advent Dec. 17.

Holy Family Parish here welcomed Bishop Serratelli during his pastoral visit Dec. 18 where he celebrated Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

For years, members of the Adult Choir of St. Joseph in Mendham have been helping prepare worshipers at the 10 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass for the birth of Baby Jesus by raising their soaring voices in singing an array of hymns — including a jubilant “Hallelujah Chorus” — before and during the liturgy. This Advent, the choir has released a 11-song CD of this joyous music that invites parishioners and other interested faithful to get into the spirit of the season.

Last month, St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany followed up on a bright idea that will help the faith community save money and the environment — replacing most of the older light blubs in its church and school with new, energy efficient blubs. Yet, the project also became part of the faith community’s response to the message of Pope Francis’ groundbreaking encyclical, “Laudato Si” — that everyone bears a responsibility to protect the Earth and care for our fellow man.

The wait is almost over. Christmas Day, the birth of Our Savior, is just a few days away. Yet, as this day of glorious Good News approaches with its message of “peace on earth, good will to men,” so much of the news we read is doom and gloom. How can we do something about all this troubling news around us?

Allan Wright, academic dean of St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization at Bayley-Ellard in Madison, examines some of the pointed questions that Christ posed during his earthly ministry in his latest book, “25 Life-Changing Questions from the Gospels: Letting Jesus Lead You through the Stages of Spiritual Growth.”

Rich Fritzky understands about the blessings God has bestowed on him — especially in the face of a catastrophic illness which has left him severely disabled. He is filled with a joy that most people could never understand. With a strong belief that God has blessed him with the “gift of suffering,” he details that suffering in his latest book, “Tidings of Great Joy — Keeping Christmas.”

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Paul Parish in Prospect Park Dec. 10 where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday. To mark Gaudete Sunday, rose-colored vestments are worn.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Mount Arlington Dec. 11 where he celebrated the 11:15 a.m. Mass marking the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday.

Bishop Serratelli presided at the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany Dec. 11. The celebration included a multicultural rosary, procession and multi-language Mass. More than 1,000 people attended despite the inclement weather that night, showing their strong devotion to the Blessed Mother.

On Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Sacred Heart Parish in Clifton where he celebrated the noon Mass. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patronal feast day of the United States, is a holy day of obligation.

Children who are parishioners of St. Jude in Budd Lake put on a Living Nativity at the Mount Olive Township Tree Lighting Dec. 2. More than 300 people of all religious practices came to the tree lighting ceremony to listen to the story of the birth of Our Savior.

The Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries is hosting the Filipino tradition of nine-day novena Masses called Simbang Gabi, which translates to “dawn Mass.” The novena is a time for Catholics to prepare for the Nativity of Jesus and will take place from Dec. 15 to Dec. 23 at 18 different parishes in the Paterson Diocese.

Suzanne Guerin Herold, Ph.D., helped an enthusiastic audience of faithful at Holy Family Parish in Florham Park prepare their hearts for the birth of the Christ Child with lively presentation that unwrapped some of the spiritual significance of the Church’s gift of this Season of Hope. She called Advent a time for penance that gets us ready for Christmas, but more importantly gets us ready for eternal life with Jesus.