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Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney marked the Solemnity of Christ the King with students from William Paterson Univer­sity at the Prince of Peace Chapel in Haledon near the university’s campus Nov. 21. The Fran­ciscan Friars of the Renewal serve in the Catholic Campus Ministry program there. They offer prayer, worship, charitable and social service, fellowship, study, travel, and activities for students who attend WPU to practice their Catholic faith in word and deed.

Though many people, including some Catholics, have been downplaying the perils of all things evil, such as the devil, hell, and practices of the occult, the Church reminds the faithful that the spiritual battle between Christ and the Evil One for our souls is still very real and has never stopped raging. For this fight, the faithful need to arm themselves with several types of spiritual weapons, such as prayer, but more importantly to be armed with an eternal optimism: that Jesus already has claimed their victory over sin with his Resurrection.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney rededicated and blessed the headquarters of the Partnership for Social Services here, an agency of Catholic Family and Community Services (CFCS), part of diocesan Catholic Charities, after it received $160,000 in renovations to help it better serve the thousands of poor people in Sussex County it helps each year — and help make them feel more welcomed. The improvements also enabled the facility, which has housed the Partnership during its entire 45 years of existence, to provide space for the Sussex County office of the N.J. Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs (NJDMAVA), which was displaced from its former location.

To pray for a greater respect for the dignity and value of every human life and to put an end to abortion, the annual Respect Life Mass of the Paterson Diocese was celebrated in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson Nov. 20. The Paterson Federation of the Knights of Columbus sponsored the Mass. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was principal celebrant of the Mass with many diocesan priests as concelebrants. Knights of Columbus members belonging to councils throughout the Diocese participated in the Mass.

The mission began with a Facebook post. Last Thanks­giving with COVID-19 at its peak, Karen Abrams of Wayne sent a message to a Facebook group of moms and her book club with the desire to help those in need for Thanksgiving by providing a hot meal for families. She was moved by the many stories of those in need and the organization serving the community who helped them. Kathya Arevalo, who is a member of the group, read the message and immediately thought about Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Paterson.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty released its third annual Religious Freedom index report Nov. 17, which serves as a comprehensive study of Americans’ perspectives and views on religious freedom. Becket says its analysis of the survey data demonstrates that support for religious freedom has reached a three-year high, based on a “composite” score devised by the group.

As I began writing this week’s column, I thought that I had written on the theme of Thanksgiving last year, but, when I looked back, I realized that I had not written a column — rather, I had written a homily for a Mass that I would celebrate on Thanksgiving Day (2020) at St. Simon Parish in Green Pond. As you will see, I shared my experience of having served as a pastor for 10 years in a largely immigrant parish. Instead of rewriting it, I will share what I wrote at that time:

St. Joseph Parish in Passaic welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney during his pastoral visit to the faith community on Nov. 14 to celebrate a Mass to commemorate the 103rd anniversary of regaining independence in Poland and the Year of St. Joseph. At the mostly Polish community, many of the parishioners dressed in their native attire for the Bishop’s pastoral visit.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Vincent Martyr Parish in Madison Nov. 13 to celebrate a Mass in both Spanish and Portuguese for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. During the Mass, the Bishop, who is also fluent in Spanish, delivered the homily in Spanish and English and blessed the flags of origin of parishioners that represented their home countries.

Although not a common practice in the western Church today, tithing, setting aside 10 percent of one’s income for the Church, has touched off a 1,000-year-old debate in Catholicism and in Christianity, were it is largely practiced. Misunderstandings about the theology, history, economics, and the practice of tithing, which began in ancient Israel, has led modern Catholics interested in the subject to ask questions such as, “Do Catholics have to tithe?” “How much should they give to the Church?” and “Who is responsible for providing for the Church?”

When Brie Milovic, a senior in high school, thinks about something eternal, she believes it’s hard to imagine, but the belief in eternal life is what helped her get through a great loss when her friend’s mother passed away last April. “This belief (in eternal life) allowed me to get past my grief,” said Milovic. “A lot of it helped my friend and her family by giving them that silver lining that this isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning as her mother achieved eternal life with God.”

Tri-County Scholarship Fund raised a record-breaking $2.25 million in scholarship funds through its 40th annual awards celebration Oct. 25, a virtual event, livestreamed to more than 900 guests, friends, and supporters. Fulfilling the mission of Tri-County, the scholarships will go to financially disadvantaged k–12 grade students in Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties so they can obtain quality, values-based educations at accredited Catholic and private elementary and secondary schools. This year was a milestone 40th anniversary for the nonprofit, celebrating the 34,000 life-changing scholarships awarded since 1981.

Each baptized believer has a “personal vocation” — a call from God to help build up his kingdom on earth in a very particular way, within a specific state in life, such as priestly life, religious life, married life, or single life. That “call within a call” is each person’s individual response to God’s universal call to holiness, which invites us not only to sanctify ourselves, but also to sanctify the Church. The discovery of a personal vocation, and committing to live it authentically and generously, will impact the way that one moves through the world. With this deep commitment to Christ, one has the freedom to fulfill one’s true calling as a Catholic: to evangelize others and invite them into a relationship with Jesus through companionship and informal mentoring in the faith.

When the news that a possible second miracle could bring the humble Capuchin friar Blessed Solanus Casey closer to sainthood rang out around the world earlier this month, it landed in the Diocese to the delight of the Murphy family — several of whom are from Pequan­nock — who are related to the would-be saint. Over the years, many of the Murphys have had a connection with Holy Spirit Parish here.

The Knights of Columbus are continuing to devote significant resources in their collaboration with the Church on the Year of St. Joseph, which will conclude Dec. 8 on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. At the semi-annual meeting of state deputies of the Knights of Columbus in Nashville, Tenn., Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly introduced the order’s new pilgrim icon prayer program, which features an icon of St. Joseph holding the child Jesus from St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, Canada.

Did you know that the U.S. Confer­ence of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) wrote a “teaching document” on the Eucharist in 2006? The title (and subtitle) of that document is the title that I chose for this column. The full text of the document is available online or you can Google: Happy are those called to His Supper. I highly recommend taking the time to read the document and to read it prayerfully.

Marking the Solemnity of All Saints, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Mass at the Monastery of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Morristown Nov. 1 for the Carmelite sisters and visitors to the monastery. All Saints’ Day is followed by All Souls’ Day, Nov. 2., which commemorates the faithful departed.

With humility, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney accepted the “Where Hope Begins” Award for his and the Diocese’s support and encouragement of Eva’s Village in Paterson, which helps people climb out of homelessness, hunger, addiction, and joblessness to rebuild their lives, during Eva’s Annual Benefit Gala on Nov. 4 at the Grove in Cedar Grove. That night, Eva’s also honored its own front-line workers and those of St. Joseph’s Health, which operates St. Joseph’s Univer­sity Medical Center, also in Paterson, for being unfailing in continuing to offer medical and social services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) of the Paterson Diocese hosted a Spanish-language congress dedicated to the Year of St. Joseph, inspired by the theme, “Jesus, Heal My Family.” The congress was held Oct. 29–31 at St. John Paul II Center in Clifton. More than 900 people attended the three-day event, making it one of the largest events hosted by the CCR.

Every day at Nazareth Village here, stories of the priesthood are recalled — the baptisms and weddings celebrated, the memories of serving the people at a parish and the difficult times of being there for families who lost a loved one. These stories are shared by a group of priests who have lived them. The conversations take place among retired priests every day around the table at a home-cooked meal at Nazareth Village, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence in Chester.