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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.”

Five states have assisted-suicide laws, while several others, including New Jersey, are examining such legislation.Supporters argue that assisted suicide gives the terminally ill a “death with dignity.” Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, debunked that argument in an address earlier this month to the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute in St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica in Toronto. He said assisted suicide is “deceptively described as ‘aid in dying.’ This is a fabricated expression whose only rhetorical function is to conceal the very nature of the death-dealing action it describes.”

As Catholic colleges across the nation hold commencement exercises this month, questions continue to be raised as to whether some of them are truly committed to providing a faithful Catholic education, based on speakers invited to campus, those they select for awards and honorary degrees and those chosen to give commencement addresses.

After leading a ceremony for the National Day of Prayer May 4, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on religious freedom that provided a big win to the Little Sisters of the Poor. During the White House ceremony, Trump told Little Sisters of the Poor there: “Your long ordeal will soon be over.” The sisters were among the religious groups that challenged the Obama Administration’s contraceptive mandate to the U.S. Supreme Court.

It’s non-negotiable. That’s what Tom Perez, the new chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), said last week about the party’s support for abortion on demand in the platform of the party. And, he added, all Democrats better be in lock-step with it or they will not gain the party’s support.

It might have gone unnoticed because it happened on Holy Thursday, April 13, but pro-life leaders certainly did not miss its significance. It was on that date that President Trump signed a repeal of what pro-lifers called President Obama’s “parting gift to the abortion industry.”

When Neil Gorsuch was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court last week, religious freedom advocates cheered. “As Catholics, we welcome a judge whose record adheres to the Constitutional right to free exercise of religion without government bullying and whose scholarship affirms the inherent dignity in all people,” said Ashley McGuire, senior fellow with The Catholic Association.

On Good Friday, April 14, in the Paterson Diocese and across our nation, the Pontifical Good Friday Collection is to be taken up in every parish in the United States to support ministries and good works in the Holy Land. It will also help to provide humanitarian aid to Christians and others who have been displaced by the war in Syria.

Gov. Chris Christie’s 2018 budget is not kind when it comes to aid for non-public schools. It proposes a cut of $9 million from non-public school aid, reducing it from $95.5 million to $86.5 million. Included in the cuts are the elimination of the entire Non-public School Security Program, which had been funded at $50 per student and the elimination of increases in nonpublic school nursing services and technology aid.