News - Editorials

As the Catholic Church marks the month of October as Respect Life Month, there was some good news last week from Washington. On Oct. 3, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 237-189 for the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The bill has been among the right-to-life movement’s top congressional priorities for the 115th Congress. Like the 16 state bills that have been enacted thus far, the proposed federal law would extend legal protection to unborn humans beginning at 20 weeks fetal age, based on congressional findings that by that point in life (and even earlier) the unborn child has the capacity to experience excruciating pain during an abortion.

The fact that every citizen in our nation knows their rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America and that it is the supreme law of the United States should be a given.

When Hurricane Harvey hit the Houston area last month, newscasts focusing on the disaster reported how the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was on the scene ready to help those affected. But so were many houses of worship that willingly opened their doors and welcomed the many who were forced to evacuate their homes. Within their sacred space, they gave them a place to sleep and they fed them. Through their acts of mercy, they were a source of strength to those who had lost everything.

One would think that in 2017 anti-Catholic bigotry would be a thing of the past. But unfortunately it is not. It was on full display in of all places, the U.S. Senate, during what should have been a routine Senate confirmation hearing for a federal judgeship.

When Pope Francis made history on Sept. 24, 2015 by being the first pope ever to address a joint meeting of Congress, he invoked four iconic U.S. citizens as relevant models of virtue for Americans today: Abraham Lincoln, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.

On Sept. 11, the nation will pause to reflect, to pray and to remember the nearly 3,000 innocent lives lost in the terrorists’ attacks in 2001. Sixteen years later, still indelibly etched in our minds are the times the planes struck the World Trade Center towers: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m.: the time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes, and the time they took to fall: 12 seconds, bringing a nation to its knees in prayer.

Teachers will be welcoming students back to class next week in schools around the Diocese, making this edition of The Beacon with its annual Back-to-School section, a good time to reflect on the dedication of these Catholic educators.

The release of the 2016 International Religious Freedom report last week confirmed the well-known fact among religious freedom advocates that the genocide of Christians by the Islamic State goes on unabated.

Remember David Daleiden? Those of us who are pro-life certainly do. He is an undercover journalist and the project lead at the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), a citizen journalist group that has worked to document the role of Planned Parenthood, other abortion providers, and tissue procurement companies in the trade of body parts of aborted babies.

Vice President Mike Pence recently drew attention to the persecution of Christians around the world, telling a summit in Washington, D.C., that “no people of faith today face greater hostility or hatred than the followers of Christ.” In the same speech, Pence singled out “the suffering of Christians in the Middle East,” promising that the U.S. would act to protect Christians in that part of the world.

The ambassador at-large for International Religious Freedom, for those who value our religious liberties and are on the front lines to defend them, is one of the most important appointments a President can make. The position is vital because countries where freedom of religion is respected see fewer acts of terror and extremism, and enjoy stronger civil and human rights than other countries where religious freedom is not respected.

Having just celebrated our great nation’s 241st birthday earlier this month, most Americans surely reflected on our nation’s humble beginnings, its storied history and the importance of the preservation of our historical sites, many of them located right here in our neighborhoods.

The roots of the Catholic faith in the Polish people are very deep. Last year, Poland celebrated the 1,050th anniversary of its Christian heritage. Since 966, Poland has more often than not been the bulwark of Christianity against invasion, and has time and again defended its civilization spurred on by its deep Catholic heritage.

During the “Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America” in Orlando, Fla, July 1-4, some 3,500 church leaders — men and women religious, bishops and laypeople — gathered together to set a new course for the U.S. Catholic Church. The U.S. bishops convened church leaders — clergy, religious, seminarians, parish volunteers and staff — with an emphasis on responding to spiritual crisis that has left so many Americans drifting away from their faith.

The Diocese’s Serra Club of Paterson was formed in 1958 and since that time, this lay apostolate made up of professional businessmen and women, has been dedicated to fostering vocations and helping to fund seminarian education. Their help is critical to the formation of seminarians in their preparation for the priesthood. Given the fact that the Diocese of Paterson had the most men called to ordination to the priesthood in the nation on July 1 when Bishop Serratelli ordained 13 men in St. John’s Cathedral, Paterson, the work of the Serra Club cannot be underestimated.

With the Fourth of July around the corner, the U.S. Church is in the midst of celebrating its annual Fortnight for Freedom (June 21-July 4), which highlights important issues for Catholics to be acutely aware of regarding our religious freedom, our first and most cherished right as U.S. citizens

One of the greatest gifts to our health care system in the United States is the many faith-based hospitals we have. Faith-based hospitals’ strong religious heritage drives them to provide compassionate care to people of all faiths and backgrounds — and their wellness services go beyond just providing medical care.

In this edition of The Beacon, we salute the Class of 2017 in a special 16-page section. By now, the graduates’ heads are filled with the words of wisdom their classmates, teachers and commencement speakers have shared with them. Everything that can be said has been said, or so it seems. So our message to the Class of 2017 consists of just three words. “Never give up!”

Leaks. They emanate from our nation’s capital by the boatload in attempts to sink the ship of state. Rarely does a leak provide good news. But one last week strengthens religious liberty in our nation. This leak did not make headlines in the secular media outlets like all the others, but it needs to be broadcast loud and clear.

“Thank you, thank you. I won’t forget what you said.” With those words, President Trump concluded his private meeting with Pope Francis on the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, May 24. Afterward, the President tweeted: “Honor of a lifetime to meet His Holiness Pope Francis. I leave the Vatican more determined than ever to pursue peace in our world.”