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A movement in religious education started to take root last year in several parishes of the Diocese with the new Family Faith Formation Program, developed by a local parish religious education director, that helps entire families center their lives around their faith and the summit of our faith: the Mass. Endorsed by Bishop Serratelli, the initiative encourages parents and children to attend Mass together; learn more about their faith, both together and in age-appropriate settings; and share their faith with each other.

Bishop Serratelli presided at the Diocese’s annual Priests Jubilee Mass on June 4 in St. Patrick Church in Chatham to celebrate the significant ordination anniversaries — 25, 40, 50 and 60 years — that 16 priests, who serve or have served the Church of Paterson, are celebrating this year. During the well-attended liturgy, the Bishop thanked almighty God for the gift of the jubilarians’ priesthoods.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. James of the Marches Church in Totowa June 9 where he celebrated Mass for the Feast of Pentecost. Pentecost is the feast of the universal Church which commemorates the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ on the ancient Jewish festival date called the “feast of weeks” or Pentecost. Pentecost is sometimes referred to as the birthday of the Church. During the Mass, the Bishop also administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people of the parish.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Ss. Cyril and Methodius Parish in Clifton on May 30 to celebrate Mass for the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, a holy day of obligation, which is marked on the 40th day after Easter. It commemorates Jesus’ ascension into heaven.

A client walks through the aisles of the Father English Food Pantry in Paterson, selecting the food items she needs to feed her family. She places them in shopping bags with the words “thank you” printed on them in bright red lettering. For each and every client, there are endless “thank you” moments with more than 25,000 visits each year by the needy, making the Catholic Charities food pantries some of the busiest in the state.

Challenges to religious freedom continue to emerge on an almost daily basis in our nation. That’s why it is so important for the U.S. Catholic Church to remain resolute in addressing them. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in his address to U.S. bishops in 2012, warned them of “Grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism” where there were “certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion.”

The director shouted “Go!” as the camera started to roll in a television studio at the headquarters of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on May 17 in Washington, D.C. Even the bright lights did not rattle the confidence of Eric Wilsusen, diocesan director of child and youth protection, as he sat at a table in the studio to help drive home a significant point — speak with one message and in one voice — during a webinar on the topic of crisis communication and management.

To make mastering English easier for foreign-born priests, thanks to a generous benefactor, some of these priests are enrolled in a professional development class to sharpen their skills in the English language. The program has enabled foreign-born priests to better proclaim the Gospel and their homilies in English.

Bishop Serratelli administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people at the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II, also known as Holy Rosary Church in Passaic. During the visit, the Bishop also celebrated Mass for the Seventh Sunday of Easter on June 2.

Two different worlds came together on the campus of Villa Walsh Academy in Morristown — elementary school students from the city with high school seniors from the suburbs — for a field day late in May, consisting of games, activities and to celebrate a 15-year partnership.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. John Kanty Parish in Clifton where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the Seventh Sunday of Easter June 1 and administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young parishioners.

The composting of human remains is now legal in the state of Washington. Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed legislation into law last week allowing the practice of “aboveground decomposition,” making Washington the first state in the nation to allow human remains to become compost. It takes effect in May 2020.

Bishop Serratelli celebrated the annual diocesan Memorial Day Mass in Calvary Cemetery’s Mausoleum Chapel in Paterson May 27 to honor the men and women who died while serving in the armed forces and all the faithful laid to rest at Calvary cemetery.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Swartswood May 26 — the Sixth Sunday of Easter — where he administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to young people of the parish.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Vincent DePaul Parish IN Stirling May 25 to mark the Sixth Sunday of Easter. During the visit, the Bishop administered the Sacrament of Confirma­tion to young people of the parish.

There’s a term of endearment for Pope Francis by Filipinos that the Pope still remembers from his pilgrimage to the Philippines in 2015. They called him “Lolo Kiko” and when Elmer Maximo, a parishioner of Sacred Heart in Rockaway, met the pope in Rome last month, he referred to the pope as “Lolo Kiko.” In response, the Pope gave Maximo a special blessing for him and his family. “Lolo means grandfather,” explained Maximo. “Kiko is a nickname for the name Francesco to Filipinos.”

Cardinal Joseph Tobin on May 22 celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving for the Little Sisters of the Poor at St. Joseph’s Home for the Elderly in Totowa to mark a major historical milestone: the 150th anniversary of seven of their religious sisters from France first arriving in the U.S. in 1868. At the well-attended liturgy, Cardinal Tobin, archbishop of the Newark Archdiocese, praised the Little Sisters — in Totowa and around the world — for continuing the ministry of their founder, St. Jeanne Jugan: care of the poor, sick, elderly and dying “with compassion.”

Bishop Serratelli will preside at the Diocese’s annual Priests Jubilee Mass at 11 a.m., Tuesday, June 4 in St. Patrick Church in Chatham. The Mass will celebrate the priesthood ordination anniversaries of 16 priests who have served or are currently serving in the Paterson Diocese.

Since 2000, New Jersey has had in place the Safe Haven Infant Protection Act. It allows an individual to give up an unwanted infant safely, legally and anonymously. The parents — or someone acting on their behalf — can leave an unharmed baby less than 30 days old with staff at any hospital emergency room, police station, fire station, ambulance, first aid or rescue squad in the state. The N.J. Department of Children and Families then ensures that the infant is placed with a foster or pre-adoptive home.

With more 3,000 combined years of service to the people of the Paterson Diocese, 58 religious sisters and three religious priests were honored at the annual Jubilee Mass for Religious on May 18 in St. Mary’s Assumption Church in Passaic. These religious, who are marking milestone anniversaries this year, have dedicated their lives to serve the Church through various ministries in the Diocese and beyond.