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Brooklyn Franciscan brother traces his vocation to Paterson Diocese #Catholic – For almost 20 years, Brother Gregory Cellini has shared God’s love and inspired others to live fearlessly in that love as a part of the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, N.Y., across the Hudson River from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey. Yet, the seeds of Brother Cellini ‘s vocation were planted in his youth in the Paterson Diocese at his home parish of St. Paul in Clifton, N.J., and with encouragement from several local priests. He attended weekly Mass at St. Paul’s with his late parents, Lucia and Ceasar, and siblings Robert, Celeste, Stephen, and Virginia. Brother Cellini, now 66, was also an altar server. “I felt stirrings of the priesthood in high school,” said Brother Cellini. He was also influenced by the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, who taught at the former St. Paul School in Clifton, where he graduated in 1973, and the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell, who taught at Paul VI High School, also in Clifton, where he graduated in 1977. “All the sisters had love and compassion, fidelity to Christ, and joy,” he said. Today, Brother Cellini is director of the Office of Mission, Ministry, and Interfaith Dialogue at St. Francis College. He also created and hosts Thank God For Monday, a weekly workplace talk show heard on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. (EST) on WSOU 89.5 FM, the radio station of Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., or at www.wsou.net. He also authored a book, “Transform Yourself —Transform the World: A Franciscan View of Career.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For the past two years, Brother Cellini has led Franciscan Month in October — a growing movement to invite Franciscan college students and communities to live out Franciscan spirituality. A recent Vatican News Agency story featured the initiative, which went nationwide this year and ends on Oct. 30. Franciscan Month encourages people to embrace the message of St. Francis of Assisi, the community’s founder, emphasizing peace, humility, and care for creation. “The world is broken in many ways, and it’s the Franciscan way that can help transform it,” Brother Cellini told the Vatican News Agency. “We want people of all ages to be inspired to live a Franciscan way, not just in October, but every day of the year.” As a youth in the Paterson Diocese, Brother Cellini was also influenced by the late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer, pastor of St. Paul’s before becoming the sixth Bishop of Paterson, and Father Richard Rento, then from St. Brendan Parish, also in Clifton. He said the priests “were committed to Christ and serving those who were poor.” Upon graduating from Paul VI, Brother Cellini began working full-time for Hoffman-La Roche pharmaceutical company in Nutley, N.J. He earned degrees from Rutgers Graduate School of Management in New Jersey and Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business. Brother Cellini spent 29 years in the pharmaceutical industry before being “downsized” in 2006. His conversion moment, however, arrived before that on May 25, 2005. Brother Cellini, an acolyte, prostrated himself in front of the tabernacle during Mass, looked at it, and said, “God, I’ve screwed this up enough. You take it over,” he said. Before being laid off, Brother Cellini took career coaching sessions. His coach, a former Franciscan sister, said a career assessment he completed revealed his strengths lie in a religious vocation. She assigned him to visit two religious congregations. The third — the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn —seemed like a great fit. “I loved the Franciscans’ simplicity, humility, and fraternity,” said Brother Cellini, who joined the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn in 2006. Brother Cellini earned an advanced certificate in Franciscan Studies from St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, N.Y. Throughout his discernment, he received encouragement from Paterson priests, Father Nicholas Bozza and Msgr. Raymond Kupke, and Msgr. Paul Bochicchio, of the Newark Archdiocese in New Jersey. Brother Cellini professed his final vows in 2012 at Our Lady of Angels Church in Brooklyn. Local Franciscan Month activities have included animal blessings. In contrast, national events this year have included daily simultaneous Eucharistic adoration uniting members of the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities. Also in 2025, Franciscan Media created FranciscanMonth.org, offering resources for living the Franciscan way. Brother Cellini told BeaconNJ.org, “I’m where God wants me to be,” at St. Francis College. “I take an interest in our college students, giving them a little perspective that could help them. I want them to see the good in themselves so they can share that good with others,” Brother Cellini said. Click here to read the Vatican News Agency story on Franciscan Month.  
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Brooklyn Franciscan brother traces his vocation to Paterson Diocese #Catholic – For almost 20 years, Brother Gregory Cellini has shared God’s love and inspired others to live fearlessly in that love as a part of the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, N.Y., across the Hudson River from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey. Yet, the seeds of Brother Cellini ‘s vocation were planted in his youth in the Paterson Diocese at his home parish of St. Paul in Clifton, N.J., and with encouragement from several local priests. He attended weekly Mass at St. Paul’s with his late parents, Lucia and Ceasar, and siblings Robert, Celeste, Stephen, and Virginia. Brother Cellini, now 66, was also an altar server. “I felt stirrings of the priesthood in high school,” said Brother Cellini. He was also influenced by the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, who taught at the former St. Paul School in Clifton, where he graduated in 1973, and the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell, who taught at Paul VI High School, also in Clifton, where he graduated in 1977. “All the sisters had love and compassion, fidelity to Christ, and joy,” he said. Today, Brother Cellini is director of the Office of Mission, Ministry, and Interfaith Dialogue at St. Francis College. He also created and hosts Thank God For Monday, a weekly workplace talk show heard on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. (EST) on WSOU 89.5 FM, the radio station of Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., or at www.wsou.net. He also authored a book, “Transform Yourself —Transform the World: A Franciscan View of Career.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. For the past two years, Brother Cellini has led Franciscan Month in October — a growing movement to invite Franciscan college students and communities to live out Franciscan spirituality. A recent Vatican News Agency story featured the initiative, which went nationwide this year and ends on Oct. 30. Franciscan Month encourages people to embrace the message of St. Francis of Assisi, the community’s founder, emphasizing peace, humility, and care for creation. “The world is broken in many ways, and it’s the Franciscan way that can help transform it,” Brother Cellini told the Vatican News Agency. “We want people of all ages to be inspired to live a Franciscan way, not just in October, but every day of the year.” As a youth in the Paterson Diocese, Brother Cellini was also influenced by the late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer, pastor of St. Paul’s before becoming the sixth Bishop of Paterson, and Father Richard Rento, then from St. Brendan Parish, also in Clifton. He said the priests “were committed to Christ and serving those who were poor.” Upon graduating from Paul VI, Brother Cellini began working full-time for Hoffman-La Roche pharmaceutical company in Nutley, N.J. He earned degrees from Rutgers Graduate School of Management in New Jersey and Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business. Brother Cellini spent 29 years in the pharmaceutical industry before being “downsized” in 2006. His conversion moment, however, arrived before that on May 25, 2005. Brother Cellini, an acolyte, prostrated himself in front of the tabernacle during Mass, looked at it, and said, “God, I’ve screwed this up enough. You take it over,” he said. Before being laid off, Brother Cellini took career coaching sessions. His coach, a former Franciscan sister, said a career assessment he completed revealed his strengths lie in a religious vocation. She assigned him to visit two religious congregations. The third — the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn —seemed like a great fit. “I loved the Franciscans’ simplicity, humility, and fraternity,” said Brother Cellini, who joined the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn in 2006. Brother Cellini earned an advanced certificate in Franciscan Studies from St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, N.Y. Throughout his discernment, he received encouragement from Paterson priests, Father Nicholas Bozza and Msgr. Raymond Kupke, and Msgr. Paul Bochicchio, of the Newark Archdiocese in New Jersey. Brother Cellini professed his final vows in 2012 at Our Lady of Angels Church in Brooklyn. Local Franciscan Month activities have included animal blessings. In contrast, national events this year have included daily simultaneous Eucharistic adoration uniting members of the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities. Also in 2025, Franciscan Media created FranciscanMonth.org, offering resources for living the Franciscan way. Brother Cellini told BeaconNJ.org, “I’m where God wants me to be,” at St. Francis College. “I take an interest in our college students, giving them a little perspective that could help them. I want them to see the good in themselves so they can share that good with others,” Brother Cellini said. Click here to read the Vatican News Agency story on Franciscan Month.  

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Brooklyn Franciscan brother traces his vocation to Paterson Diocese #Catholic –

For almost 20 years, Brother Gregory Cellini has shared God’s love and inspired others to live fearlessly in that love as a part of the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, N.Y., across the Hudson River from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey.

Yet, the seeds of Brother Cellini ‘s vocation were planted in his youth in the Paterson Diocese at his home parish of St. Paul in Clifton, N.J., and with encouragement from several local priests. He attended weekly Mass at St. Paul’s with his late parents, Lucia and Ceasar, and siblings Robert, Celeste, Stephen, and Virginia. Brother Cellini, now 66, was also an altar server.

“I felt stirrings of the priesthood in high school,” said Brother Cellini. He was also influenced by the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, who taught at the former St. Paul School in Clifton, where he graduated in 1973, and the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell, who taught at Paul VI High School, also in Clifton, where he graduated in 1977. “All the sisters had love and compassion, fidelity to Christ, and joy,” he said.

Today, Brother Cellini is director of the Office of Mission, Ministry, and Interfaith Dialogue at St. Francis College. He also created and hosts Thank God For Monday, a weekly workplace talk show heard on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. (EST) on WSOU 89.5 FM, the radio station of Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., or at www.wsou.net. He also authored a book, “Transform Yourself —Transform the World: A Franciscan View of Career.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

For the past two years, Brother Cellini has led Franciscan Month in October — a growing movement to invite Franciscan college students and communities to live out Franciscan spirituality. A recent Vatican News Agency story featured the initiative, which went nationwide this year and ends on Oct. 30. Franciscan Month encourages people to embrace the message of St. Francis of Assisi, the community’s founder, emphasizing peace, humility, and care for creation.

“The world is broken in many ways, and it’s the Franciscan way that can help transform it,” Brother Cellini told the Vatican News Agency. “We want people of all ages to be inspired to live a Franciscan way, not just in October, but every day of the year.”

As a youth in the Paterson Diocese, Brother Cellini was also influenced by the late Bishop Frank J. Rodimer, pastor of St. Paul’s before becoming the sixth Bishop of Paterson, and Father Richard Rento, then from St. Brendan Parish, also in Clifton. He said the priests “were committed to Christ and serving those who were poor.”

Upon graduating from Paul VI, Brother Cellini began working full-time for Hoffman-La Roche pharmaceutical company in Nutley, N.J. He earned degrees from Rutgers Graduate School of Management in New Jersey and Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business. Brother Cellini spent 29 years in the pharmaceutical industry before being “downsized” in 2006.

His conversion moment, however, arrived before that on May 25, 2005. Brother Cellini, an acolyte, prostrated himself in front of the tabernacle during Mass, looked at it, and said, “God, I’ve screwed this up enough. You take it over,” he said.

Before being laid off, Brother Cellini took career coaching sessions. His coach, a former Franciscan sister, said a career assessment he completed revealed his strengths lie in a religious vocation. She assigned him to visit two religious congregations. The third — the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn —seemed like a great fit.

“I loved the Franciscans’ simplicity, humility, and fraternity,” said Brother Cellini, who joined the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn in 2006.

Brother Cellini earned an advanced certificate in Franciscan Studies from St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, N.Y. Throughout his discernment, he received encouragement from Paterson priests, Father Nicholas Bozza and Msgr. Raymond Kupke, and Msgr. Paul Bochicchio, of the Newark Archdiocese in New Jersey. Brother Cellini professed his final vows in 2012 at Our Lady of Angels Church in Brooklyn.

Local Franciscan Month activities have included animal blessings. In contrast, national events this year have included daily simultaneous Eucharistic adoration uniting members of the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities. Also in 2025, Franciscan Media created FranciscanMonth.org, offering resources for living the Franciscan way.

Brother Cellini told BeaconNJ.org, “I’m where God wants me to be,” at St. Francis College.

“I take an interest in our college students, giving them a little perspective that could help them. I want them to see the good in themselves so they can share that good with others,” Brother Cellini said.

Click here to read the Vatican News Agency story on Franciscan Month.

 

– For almost 20 years, Brother Gregory Cellini has shared God’s love and inspired others to live fearlessly in that love as a part of the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, N.Y., across the Hudson River from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey. Yet, the seeds of Brother Cellini ‘s vocation were planted in his youth in the Paterson Diocese at his home parish of St. Paul in Clifton, N.J., and with encouragement from several local priests. He attended weekly Mass at St. Paul’s with his late parents, Lucia and Ceasar, and siblings Robert, Celeste, Stephen, and Virginia. Brother Cellini, now 66,

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Nov. 2, 1885: Birth of Harlow Shapley

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Born Nov. 2, 1885, In Missouri, Harlow Shapley earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1913. From 1914 to 1921, he was posted at Mount Wilson Observatory, where he used the 60-inch telescope to study globular clusters and Cepheid variables. From 1921 to 1952, Shapley was the director of the Harvard College Observatory, helping establishContinue reading “Nov. 2, 1885: Birth of Harlow Shapley”

The post Nov. 2, 1885: Birth of Harlow Shapley appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Filipino priest joyfully installed as pastor of Parsippany parish #Catholic - St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J., delighted in the installation of its new pastor, Father Nico Quintos, by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney during a Mass the bishop celebrated in the church on Oct. 25. In May, Bishop Sweeney named Father Quintos pastor of St. Ann’s, effective July 1, while continuing as an auditor and advocate of the Marriage Tribunal of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey and as minister to the retired senior priests. The new pastor previously served as parochial vicar of St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J. Bishop Sweeney ordained him to the diocesan priesthood on Aug. 1, 2020. Bishop Sweeney celebrated the Oct. 25 installation Mass, which was concelebrated by many fellow priests and was assisted by deacons. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Born in Malolos City in the Province of Bulacan, Philippines, Father Quintos earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and communications from St. Paul Seminary in Cavite, the Philippines, in 2013 and a master’s degree in divinity and a master’s degree in moral theology from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., in 2020. Father Quintos is pursuing a master’s degree in professional counseling at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. “He is an engaging speaker who considers the Christian life an adventure of the most exhilarating kind and a pilgrimage that moves onward and upward. His preaching invites us on a renewed journey toward God and encourages us to deepen our relationship with Jesus,” St. Ann’s bulletin stated about Father Quintos. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
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Filipino priest joyfully installed as pastor of Parsippany parish #Catholic – St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J., delighted in the installation of its new pastor, Father Nico Quintos, by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney during a Mass the bishop celebrated in the church on Oct. 25. In May, Bishop Sweeney named Father Quintos pastor of St. Ann’s, effective July 1, while continuing as an auditor and advocate of the Marriage Tribunal of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey and as minister to the retired senior priests. The new pastor previously served as parochial vicar of St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J. Bishop Sweeney ordained him to the diocesan priesthood on Aug. 1, 2020. Bishop Sweeney celebrated the Oct. 25 installation Mass, which was concelebrated by many fellow priests and was assisted by deacons. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Born in Malolos City in the Province of Bulacan, Philippines, Father Quintos earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and communications from St. Paul Seminary in Cavite, the Philippines, in 2013 and a master’s degree in divinity and a master’s degree in moral theology from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., in 2020. Father Quintos is pursuing a master’s degree in professional counseling at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. “He is an engaging speaker who considers the Christian life an adventure of the most exhilarating kind and a pilgrimage that moves onward and upward. His preaching invites us on a renewed journey toward God and encourages us to deepen our relationship with Jesus,” St. Ann’s bulletin stated about Father Quintos. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

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Filipino priest joyfully installed as pastor of Parsippany parish #Catholic –

St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J., delighted in the installation of its new pastor, Father Nico Quintos, by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney during a Mass the bishop celebrated in the church on Oct. 25.

In May, Bishop Sweeney named Father Quintos pastor of St. Ann’s, effective July 1, while continuing as an auditor and advocate of the Marriage Tribunal of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey and as minister to the retired senior priests. The new pastor previously served as parochial vicar of St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J. Bishop Sweeney ordained him to the diocesan priesthood on Aug. 1, 2020.

Bishop Sweeney celebrated the Oct. 25 installation Mass, which was concelebrated by many fellow priests and was assisted by deacons.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Born in Malolos City in the Province of Bulacan, Philippines, Father Quintos earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and communications from St. Paul Seminary in Cavite, the Philippines, in 2013 and a master’s degree in divinity and a master’s degree in moral theology from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., in 2020.

Father Quintos is pursuing a master’s degree in professional counseling at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J.

“He is an engaging speaker who considers the Christian life an adventure of the most exhilarating kind and a pilgrimage that moves onward and upward. His preaching invites us on a renewed journey toward God and encourages us to deepen our relationship with Jesus,” St. Ann’s bulletin stated about Father Quintos.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

– St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J., delighted in the installation of its new pastor, Father Nico Quintos, by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney during a Mass the bishop celebrated in the church on Oct. 25. In May, Bishop Sweeney named Father Quintos pastor of St. Ann’s, effective July 1, while continuing as an auditor and advocate of the Marriage Tribunal of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey and as minister to the retired senior priests. The new pastor previously served as parochial vicar of St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J. Bishop Sweeney ordained him to the diocesan priesthood on

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November 2025: Mercury switches from evening to morning as giant planets dominate the night

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Mercury switches from the evening to morning sky this month, while the giant planets dominate the night. The moons of Jupiter and Saturn offer many events. Venus stars on early November mornings, but drops lower day by day.  Mercury shines at magnitude –0.1 on Nov. 1 and hangs low in the southwest after sunset. ItContinue reading “November 2025: Mercury switches from evening to morning as giant planets dominate the night”

The post November 2025: Mercury switches from evening to morning as giant planets dominate the night appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Young adults urged to trust God at Jubilee event in Clifton #Catholic - People have many worries in these uncertain times — from far-reaching concerns such as increasingly polarized politics and war to personal issues such as family troubles. Sometimes, these worries lead Daisy Reyes, 27, of Holy Trinity Parish in Passaic, N.J., to ask, “Where is God in our lives?” Reyes received God’s reassurance through the words of two clergy who spoke at the Jubilee of Young Adults of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Clifton on the afternoon of Oct. 26. There, Father Starli Castaños, parochial vicar of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J. urged the more than 140 participants from at least 10 young adult parish groups around the diocese to trust God. Later, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney urged the young adults to “open their hearts wide” to the Lord during a Mass he celebrated. “Their messages showed me that God is saying to us, ‘Here I am in your lives.’ Father Starli and Bishop Sweeney challenged us to surrender to God and pray more,” said Reyes, a preschool teacher. She said the Jubilee event was a “wonderful way to connect as a young-adult community and with the bishop, our leader, who is guiding us to God.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Young adults from the diocese and beyond, including a few from New York, attended the Jubilee celebration. Attending were individual young adults, diocesan officials, consecrated religious, and priests who concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney. The young adult event was the final diocesan observance of the Universal Church’s Jubilee of Hope 2025, preceding the closing Mass on Dec. 28 at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. In his bilingual talk before the Mass, Father Castaños noted that young people worry about all types of life decisions, including about college and career. “Also, we are all broken vessels in need of healing. Trust and surrender to the Lord in tough times. He will build you up,” Father Castaños said. He reminded participants that God will answer in his time and according to his will — not theirs. “We need to trust him so we can go out and become pilgrims of hope.” In his homily at the bilingual Mass, Bishop Sweeney encouraged young adults to believe and trust that a life of faith as a committed disciple is an exciting “adventure,” a word first used by St. Pope John Paul II, who said, “Life with Christ is an adventure.” Jessica Alvarez, of the young adult ministry, EPIC, at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic, N.J., and a team planned and organized the celebration. Father Jeider Barraza, pastor of St. Andrew’s, hosted the event after a last-minute venue change. Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor and delegate for religious, and Brian Honsberger, a former staff member at St. Paul’s Center for Evangelization Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J., have been organizing all of the diocesan Jubilee events. Along with Father Charles Lana, diocesan vocations director, each young adult group on the planning team staffed an exhibitor’s table where all attending could learn more about Corazon Puro, Young Catholic Professionals (YCP-NJ), St. Paul’s, and EPIC. In his homily, Bishop Sweeney made another reference to a life of faith as an “adventure,” this time from Pope Leo XIV’s homily at the Jubilee of Young Adults in Rome on Aug. 3. “It is truly beautiful, especially at a young age, to open wide your hearts, to allow him [God] to enter, and to set out on this adventure with him towards eternity,” the pontiff said, according to Bishop Sweeney. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
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Young adults urged to trust God at Jubilee event in Clifton #Catholic – People have many worries in these uncertain times — from far-reaching concerns such as increasingly polarized politics and war to personal issues such as family troubles. Sometimes, these worries lead Daisy Reyes, 27, of Holy Trinity Parish in Passaic, N.J., to ask, “Where is God in our lives?” Reyes received God’s reassurance through the words of two clergy who spoke at the Jubilee of Young Adults of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Clifton on the afternoon of Oct. 26. There, Father Starli Castaños, parochial vicar of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J. urged the more than 140 participants from at least 10 young adult parish groups around the diocese to trust God. Later, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney urged the young adults to “open their hearts wide” to the Lord during a Mass he celebrated. “Their messages showed me that God is saying to us, ‘Here I am in your lives.’ Father Starli and Bishop Sweeney challenged us to surrender to God and pray more,” said Reyes, a preschool teacher. She said the Jubilee event was a “wonderful way to connect as a young-adult community and with the bishop, our leader, who is guiding us to God.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Young adults from the diocese and beyond, including a few from New York, attended the Jubilee celebration. Attending were individual young adults, diocesan officials, consecrated religious, and priests who concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney. The young adult event was the final diocesan observance of the Universal Church’s Jubilee of Hope 2025, preceding the closing Mass on Dec. 28 at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. In his bilingual talk before the Mass, Father Castaños noted that young people worry about all types of life decisions, including about college and career. “Also, we are all broken vessels in need of healing. Trust and surrender to the Lord in tough times. He will build you up,” Father Castaños said. He reminded participants that God will answer in his time and according to his will — not theirs. “We need to trust him so we can go out and become pilgrims of hope.” In his homily at the bilingual Mass, Bishop Sweeney encouraged young adults to believe and trust that a life of faith as a committed disciple is an exciting “adventure,” a word first used by St. Pope John Paul II, who said, “Life with Christ is an adventure.” Jessica Alvarez, of the young adult ministry, EPIC, at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic, N.J., and a team planned and organized the celebration. Father Jeider Barraza, pastor of St. Andrew’s, hosted the event after a last-minute venue change. Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor and delegate for religious, and Brian Honsberger, a former staff member at St. Paul’s Center for Evangelization Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J., have been organizing all of the diocesan Jubilee events. Along with Father Charles Lana, diocesan vocations director, each young adult group on the planning team staffed an exhibitor’s table where all attending could learn more about Corazon Puro, Young Catholic Professionals (YCP-NJ), St. Paul’s, and EPIC. In his homily, Bishop Sweeney made another reference to a life of faith as an “adventure,” this time from Pope Leo XIV’s homily at the Jubilee of Young Adults in Rome on Aug. 3. “It is truly beautiful, especially at a young age, to open wide your hearts, to allow him [God] to enter, and to set out on this adventure with him towards eternity,” the pontiff said, according to Bishop Sweeney. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

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Young adults urged to trust God at Jubilee event in Clifton #Catholic –

People have many worries in these uncertain times — from far-reaching concerns such as increasingly polarized politics and war to personal issues such as family troubles. Sometimes, these worries lead Daisy Reyes, 27, of Holy Trinity Parish in Passaic, N.J., to ask, “Where is God in our lives?”

Reyes received God’s reassurance through the words of two clergy who spoke at the Jubilee of Young Adults of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Clifton on the afternoon of Oct. 26. There, Father Starli Castaños, parochial vicar of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J. urged the more than 140 participants from at least 10 young adult parish groups around the diocese to trust God. Later, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney urged the young adults to “open their hearts wide” to the Lord during a Mass he celebrated.

“Their messages showed me that God is saying to us, ‘Here I am in your lives.’ Father Starli and Bishop Sweeney challenged us to surrender to God and pray more,” said Reyes, a preschool teacher. She said the Jubilee event was a “wonderful way to connect as a young-adult community and with the bishop, our leader, who is guiding us to God.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Young adults from the diocese and beyond, including a few from New York, attended the Jubilee celebration. Attending were individual young adults, diocesan officials, consecrated religious, and priests who concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney. The young adult event was the final diocesan observance of the Universal Church’s Jubilee of Hope 2025, preceding the closing Mass on Dec. 28 at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson.

In his bilingual talk before the Mass, Father Castaños noted that young people worry about all types of life decisions, including about college and career.

“Also, we are all broken vessels in need of healing. Trust and surrender to the Lord in tough times. He will build you up,” Father Castaños said. He reminded participants that God will answer in his time and according to his will — not theirs. “We need to trust him so we can go out and become pilgrims of hope.”

In his homily at the bilingual Mass, Bishop Sweeney encouraged young adults to believe and trust that a life of faith as a committed disciple is an exciting “adventure,” a word first used by St. Pope John Paul II, who said, “Life with Christ is an adventure.”

Jessica Alvarez, of the young adult ministry, EPIC, at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic, N.J., and a team planned and organized the celebration. Father Jeider Barraza, pastor of St. Andrew’s, hosted the event after a last-minute venue change. Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor and delegate for religious, and Brian Honsberger, a former staff member at St. Paul’s Center for Evangelization Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J., have been organizing all of the diocesan Jubilee events.

Along with Father Charles Lana, diocesan vocations director, each young adult group on the planning team staffed an exhibitor’s table where all attending could learn more about Corazon Puro, Young Catholic Professionals (YCP-NJ), St. Paul’s, and EPIC.

In his homily, Bishop Sweeney made another reference to a life of faith as an “adventure,” this time from Pope Leo XIV’s homily at the Jubilee of Young Adults in Rome on Aug. 3.

“It is truly beautiful, especially at a young age, to open wide your hearts, to allow him [God] to enter, and to set out on this adventure with him towards eternity,” the pontiff said, according to Bishop Sweeney.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

– People have many worries in these uncertain times — from far-reaching concerns such as increasingly polarized politics and war to personal issues such as family troubles. Sometimes, these worries lead Daisy Reyes, 27, of Holy Trinity Parish in Passaic, N.J., to ask, “Where is God in our lives?” Reyes received God’s reassurance through the words of two clergy who spoke at the Jubilee of Young Adults of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Clifton on the afternoon of Oct. 26. There, Father Starli Castaños, parochial vicar of the Cathedral of St. John the

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The Sky This Week from October 31 to November 7: Catch celestial ghosts

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Sky This Week is brought to you in part by Celestron. Friday, October 31This Halloween, peer into the Ghost’s Goblet, a young grouping of stars in Cassiopeia the Queen. Formally cataloged as NGC 559 and Caldwell 8, you’ll find this open cluster high in the northeast a few hours after sunset. Look for the WContinue reading “The Sky This Week from October 31 to November 7: Catch celestial ghosts”

The post The Sky This Week from October 31 to November 7: Catch celestial ghosts appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Surrounded by nature, retired priests live active retirements in Chester #Catholic – Usually, Father Dennis Crowley, 77, spends his day as he pleases — by himself in quiet prayer and meditation. But occasionally, this retired priest of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey appreciates some company — from animals as well as humans. Sometimes, Father Crowley takes breaks from prayer, watching a variety of creatures, including deer, birds, and squirrels, outside the window of his condominium at Nazareth Village, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence in Chester, N.J. He also enjoys fellowship with his nine fellow resident priests, who gather for a home-cooked meal at noon each day, and listening to their spiritual insights, largely about saints. “I love to see the animals out here in Chester — in the woods. It’s quiet and peaceful. It’s also wonderful to have interaction with a community of other retired priests,” said Father Crowley, who moved to Nazareth Village a year and a half ago. “I love it here. My condo has a beautiful layout. The rent is reasonable, because the diocese subsidizes it.” These ten diocesan priests who have spent a lifetime serving others live at Nazareth Village thanks to the generosity of the faithful through the Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA). The appeal also helps fund Catholic Charities, seminarian education, priests’ healthcare needs, including retired priests, and inner-city Catholic elementary education. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “To my knowledge, having a place like Nazareth, where retired priests can live independently, that isn’t a church rectory or a convent, if they need it, isn’t common in other dioceses. We are proud of that at Nazareth,” said Father Brian P. Quinn, director of Nazareth Village and pastor of St. Matthew the Apostle Parish in Randolph, N.J. Each priest-resident at Nazareth has a sitting room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette. In addition, common rooms include a recreation room, library, refectory, TV room, parlors, laundry, physical therapy room, and exercise room. The staff provides the noon meal, laundry service, and housekeeping. The priests are charged a portion of their monthly pension as rent. Nazareth Village is under the direction of the diocesan Office of Clergy Personnel. Father Crowley appreciates the spiritual heart of Nazareth: the Our Lady, Mother of Priests Chapel, which allows resident priests to celebrate Mass there. Nazareth’s location also makes it easy for priests to reach any part of the diocese where they may still serve in retirement. However, Father Crowley usually doesn’t travel outside the facility, because of his physical limitations. In 2016, Father Crowley retired from active ministry. Incardinated into the diocese in the early 1990s, he previously was a Benedictine monk in Latrobe, Penn. Before coming to Nazareth, he lived in an apartment in Morristown. Father Crowley said he prays for the entire diocese, including in gratitude to the DMA donors. “We priests have lovingly and willingly given ourselves for the faithful of the diocese. Now we need them. Because of their generosity to the DMA, we can live with dignity in a safe, comfortable place. I thank the people of the diocese,” Father Crowley said. The Diocesan Ministries Appeal supports Nazareth Village, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence in Chester, N.J. Please consider participating in the DMA. To donate or pledge online, scan the QR code or visit dopappeal.org. For more information, call 973-777-8818, ext. 215.  
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Surrounded by nature, retired priests live active retirements in Chester #Catholic – Usually, Father Dennis Crowley, 77, spends his day as he pleases — by himself in quiet prayer and meditation. But occasionally, this retired priest of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey appreciates some company — from animals as well as humans. Sometimes, Father Crowley takes breaks from prayer, watching a variety of creatures, including deer, birds, and squirrels, outside the window of his condominium at Nazareth Village, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence in Chester, N.J. He also enjoys fellowship with his nine fellow resident priests, who gather for a home-cooked meal at noon each day, and listening to their spiritual insights, largely about saints. “I love to see the animals out here in Chester — in the woods. It’s quiet and peaceful. It’s also wonderful to have interaction with a community of other retired priests,” said Father Crowley, who moved to Nazareth Village a year and a half ago. “I love it here. My condo has a beautiful layout. The rent is reasonable, because the diocese subsidizes it.” These ten diocesan priests who have spent a lifetime serving others live at Nazareth Village thanks to the generosity of the faithful through the Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA). The appeal also helps fund Catholic Charities, seminarian education, priests’ healthcare needs, including retired priests, and inner-city Catholic elementary education. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “To my knowledge, having a place like Nazareth, where retired priests can live independently, that isn’t a church rectory or a convent, if they need it, isn’t common in other dioceses. We are proud of that at Nazareth,” said Father Brian P. Quinn, director of Nazareth Village and pastor of St. Matthew the Apostle Parish in Randolph, N.J. Each priest-resident at Nazareth has a sitting room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette. In addition, common rooms include a recreation room, library, refectory, TV room, parlors, laundry, physical therapy room, and exercise room. The staff provides the noon meal, laundry service, and housekeeping. The priests are charged a portion of their monthly pension as rent. Nazareth Village is under the direction of the diocesan Office of Clergy Personnel. Father Crowley appreciates the spiritual heart of Nazareth: the Our Lady, Mother of Priests Chapel, which allows resident priests to celebrate Mass there. Nazareth’s location also makes it easy for priests to reach any part of the diocese where they may still serve in retirement. However, Father Crowley usually doesn’t travel outside the facility, because of his physical limitations. In 2016, Father Crowley retired from active ministry. Incardinated into the diocese in the early 1990s, he previously was a Benedictine monk in Latrobe, Penn. Before coming to Nazareth, he lived in an apartment in Morristown. Father Crowley said he prays for the entire diocese, including in gratitude to the DMA donors. “We priests have lovingly and willingly given ourselves for the faithful of the diocese. Now we need them. Because of their generosity to the DMA, we can live with dignity in a safe, comfortable place. I thank the people of the diocese,” Father Crowley said. The Diocesan Ministries Appeal supports Nazareth Village, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence in Chester, N.J. Please consider participating in the DMA. To donate or pledge online, scan the QR code or visit dopappeal.org. For more information, call 973-777-8818, ext. 215.  

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Surrounded by nature, retired priests live active retirements in Chester #Catholic –

Usually, Father Dennis Crowley, 77, spends his day as he pleases — by himself in quiet prayer and meditation. But occasionally, this retired priest of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey appreciates some company — from animals as well as humans.

Sometimes, Father Crowley takes breaks from prayer, watching a variety of creatures, including deer, birds, and squirrels, outside the window of his condominium at Nazareth Village, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence in Chester, N.J. He also enjoys fellowship with his nine fellow resident priests, who gather for a home-cooked meal at noon each day, and listening to their spiritual insights, largely about saints.

“I love to see the animals out here in Chester — in the woods. It’s quiet and peaceful. It’s also wonderful to have interaction with a community of other retired priests,” said Father Crowley, who moved to Nazareth Village a year and a half ago. “I love it here. My condo has a beautiful layout. The rent is reasonable, because the diocese subsidizes it.”

These ten diocesan priests who have spent a lifetime serving others live at Nazareth Village thanks to the generosity of the faithful through the Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA). The appeal also helps fund Catholic Charities, seminarian education, priests’ healthcare needs, including retired priests, and inner-city Catholic elementary education.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“To my knowledge, having a place like Nazareth, where retired priests can live independently, that isn’t a church rectory or a convent, if they need it, isn’t common in other dioceses. We are proud of that at Nazareth,” said Father Brian P. Quinn, director of Nazareth Village and pastor of St. Matthew the Apostle Parish in Randolph, N.J.

Each priest-resident at Nazareth has a sitting room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette. In addition, common rooms include a recreation room, library, refectory, TV room, parlors, laundry, physical therapy room, and exercise room. The staff provides the noon meal, laundry service, and housekeeping. The priests are charged a portion of their monthly pension as rent. Nazareth Village is under the direction of the diocesan Office of Clergy Personnel.

Father Crowley appreciates the spiritual heart of Nazareth: the Our Lady, Mother of Priests Chapel, which allows resident priests to celebrate Mass there. Nazareth’s location also makes it easy for priests to reach any part of the diocese where they may still serve in retirement. However, Father Crowley usually doesn’t travel outside the facility, because of his physical limitations.

In 2016, Father Crowley retired from active ministry. Incardinated into the diocese in the early 1990s, he previously was a Benedictine monk in Latrobe, Penn. Before coming to Nazareth, he lived in an apartment in Morristown.

Father Crowley said he prays for the entire diocese, including in gratitude to the DMA donors.

“We priests have lovingly and willingly given ourselves for the faithful of the diocese. Now we need them. Because of their generosity to the DMA, we can live with dignity in a safe, comfortable place. I thank the people of the diocese,” Father Crowley said.

The Diocesan Ministries Appeal supports Nazareth Village, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence in Chester, N.J. Please consider participating in the DMA. To donate or pledge online, scan the QR code or visit dopappeal.org. For more information, call 973-777-8818, ext. 215.

 

– Usually, Father Dennis Crowley, 77, spends his day as he pleases — by himself in quiet prayer and meditation. But occasionally, this retired priest of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey appreciates some company — from animals as well as humans. Sometimes, Father Crowley takes breaks from prayer, watching a variety of creatures, including deer, birds, and squirrels, outside the window of his condominium at Nazareth Village, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence in Chester, N.J. He also enjoys fellowship with his nine fellow resident priests, who gather for a home-cooked meal at noon each day, and listening to their spiritual

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Hispanic ministry directors conference hears from Paterson officials #Catholic - Two Spanish-speaking officials from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey spoke at this year’s annual conference of the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors of Hispanic Ministry (NCADDHM), held in Newark, N.J., from Oct. 21 to 24. The theme was “Walking with Joy. Anchored in Hope,” inspired by the Universal Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope 2025. Maria Moncaleano, director of Hispanic Ministry in Paterson, gave a speech welcoming the participants on Tuesday, Oct. 21. She is NCADDHM’s vice president, chairperson of the conference planning committee, and is a representative of Episcopal Region 3 of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Freddy Garcia, Paterson Diocesan associate coordinator of evangelization and a campus minister, spoke about “Communion, Participation, and Mission: The Path of the Young Adult” on the conference’s third day, Oct. 23. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “I shared my personal story about how I embraced a life of faith in my young adulthood and grew committed to the mission of the Church,” Garcia told BeaconNJ.org after the conference. “The goal in the end was to offer insights on how to achieve objectives from the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry, specifically regarding young adults, Hispanic and Latino.” Of the conference’s 265 participants, 14 were bishops and 30 were priests, along with religious, and young adults, including several faithful from the Paterson Diocese. Episcopal Region delegates came from the Newark Archdiocese, Paterson Diocese, Metuchen Diocese, and Trenton Diocese in New Jersey and the Allentown Diocese and Harrisburg Diocese in Pennsylvania. Dr. Gerardo Salazar, NCADDHM’s COR manager, called this year’s event “the best attended conference in the last 33 years.” One attendee from Paterson, Father Cesar Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., posted about the national gathering on social media, “Feeling inspired and encouraged by such a cloud of wonderful witnesses and amazing presenters at this year’s conference.” NCADDHM’s purpose is to create a collaborative ministry. The association engages in reflection and planning of Hispanic ministry. It provides continuing formation for diocesan directors serving in the United States. [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
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Hispanic ministry directors conference hears from Paterson officials #Catholic – Two Spanish-speaking officials from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey spoke at this year’s annual conference of the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors of Hispanic Ministry (NCADDHM), held in Newark, N.J., from Oct. 21 to 24. The theme was “Walking with Joy. Anchored in Hope,” inspired by the Universal Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope 2025. Maria Moncaleano, director of Hispanic Ministry in Paterson, gave a speech welcoming the participants on Tuesday, Oct. 21. She is NCADDHM’s vice president, chairperson of the conference planning committee, and is a representative of Episcopal Region 3 of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Freddy Garcia, Paterson Diocesan associate coordinator of evangelization and a campus minister, spoke about “Communion, Participation, and Mission: The Path of the Young Adult” on the conference’s third day, Oct. 23. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “I shared my personal story about how I embraced a life of faith in my young adulthood and grew committed to the mission of the Church,” Garcia told BeaconNJ.org after the conference. “The goal in the end was to offer insights on how to achieve objectives from the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry, specifically regarding young adults, Hispanic and Latino.” Of the conference’s 265 participants, 14 were bishops and 30 were priests, along with religious, and young adults, including several faithful from the Paterson Diocese. Episcopal Region delegates came from the Newark Archdiocese, Paterson Diocese, Metuchen Diocese, and Trenton Diocese in New Jersey and the Allentown Diocese and Harrisburg Diocese in Pennsylvania. Dr. Gerardo Salazar, NCADDHM’s COR manager, called this year’s event “the best attended conference in the last 33 years.” One attendee from Paterson, Father Cesar Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., posted about the national gathering on social media, “Feeling inspired and encouraged by such a cloud of wonderful witnesses and amazing presenters at this year’s conference.” NCADDHM’s purpose is to create a collaborative ministry. The association engages in reflection and planning of Hispanic ministry. It provides continuing formation for diocesan directors serving in the United States. [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

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Hispanic ministry directors conference hears from Paterson officials #Catholic –

Two Spanish-speaking officials from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey spoke at this year’s annual conference of the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors of Hispanic Ministry (NCADDHM), held in Newark, N.J., from Oct. 21 to 24. The theme was “Walking with Joy. Anchored in Hope,” inspired by the Universal Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope 2025.

Maria Moncaleano, director of Hispanic Ministry in Paterson, gave a speech welcoming the participants on Tuesday, Oct. 21. She is NCADDHM’s vice president, chairperson of the conference planning committee, and is a representative of Episcopal Region 3 of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Freddy Garcia, Paterson Diocesan associate coordinator of evangelization and a campus minister, spoke about “Communion, Participation, and Mission: The Path of the Young Adult” on the conference’s third day, Oct. 23.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“I shared my personal story about how I embraced a life of faith in my young adulthood and grew committed to the mission of the Church,” Garcia told BeaconNJ.org after the conference. “The goal in the end was to offer insights on how to achieve objectives from the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry, specifically regarding young adults, Hispanic and Latino.”

Of the conference’s 265 participants, 14 were bishops and 30 were priests, along with religious, and young adults, including several faithful from the Paterson Diocese. Episcopal Region delegates came from the Newark Archdiocese, Paterson Diocese, Metuchen Diocese, and Trenton Diocese in New Jersey and the Allentown Diocese and Harrisburg Diocese in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Gerardo Salazar, NCADDHM’s COR manager, called this year’s event “the best attended conference in the last 33 years.”

One attendee from Paterson, Father Cesar Jaramillo, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J., posted about the national gathering on social media, “Feeling inspired and encouraged by such a cloud of wonderful witnesses and amazing presenters at this year’s conference.”

NCADDHM’s purpose is to create a collaborative ministry. The association engages in reflection and planning of Hispanic ministry. It provides continuing formation for diocesan directors serving in the United States.

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org] – Two Spanish-speaking officials from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey spoke at this year’s annual conference of the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors of Hispanic Ministry (NCADDHM), held in Newark, N.J., from Oct. 21 to 24. The theme was “Walking with Joy. Anchored in Hope,” inspired by the Universal Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope 2025. Maria Moncaleano, director of Hispanic Ministry in Paterson, gave a speech welcoming the participants on Tuesday, Oct. 21. She is NCADDHM’s vice president, chairperson of the conference planning committee, and is a representative of Episcopal Region 3 of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Freddy Garcia,

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Michael’s Miscellany: A lot to see around IC 1396

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Scanning the constellation Cepheus the King leads us to one of the sky’s largest emission nebulae — IC 1396. It measures a whopping 2.8° by 2.3°. But this region also contains dark nebulae and a bright star cluster. Plus, there’s a famous colorful star nearby. Get ready to spend lots of time observing this wonderful region. In images of IC 1396, the mostContinue reading “Michael’s Miscellany: A lot to see around IC 1396”

The post Michael’s Miscellany: A lot to see around IC 1396 appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Watch: New Diocesan Ministries Appeal Video  #Catholic – So many good works of charity by the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey are taking place every day in God’s name all over the three counties it covers: Passaic, Morris, and Sussex. A new video promoting the 2025 Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA) asks diocesan faithful to contribute by highlighting the many programs and ministries that serve the Church of Paterson’s diverse population. Guided by this year’s theme, “Three Counties — One Family of Faith,” the DMA supports Catholic Charities, which cares for people in need; retired priests; seminarian education; and urban Catholic education. In words, images, and video clips, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney narrates a guided virtual tour of some of the diocese’s charitable works in each county. They include Catholic Charities programs such as the Partnership for Social Services in Sussex, the Fix It Program in Morris, and the Father English Food Pantry in Passaic, set to reopen soon after extensive renovations. In the video, Bishop Sweeney says, “In my five years as bishop, I’ve been privileged to see the life-saving work that takes place every day, supported by the Diocesan Ministries Appeal.” “Your gift to the Diocesan Ministries Appeal will help make dozens of unique and important programs and ministries available in our three counties. I ask for your generous support. Thank you for helping me make the Diocese of Paterson a shining example of God’s love and compassion. Simply put, I cannot do it without you,” Bishop Sweeney says in the video. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
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Watch: New Diocesan Ministries Appeal Video  #Catholic – So many good works of charity by the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey are taking place every day in God’s name all over the three counties it covers: Passaic, Morris, and Sussex. A new video promoting the 2025 Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA) asks diocesan faithful to contribute by highlighting the many programs and ministries that serve the Church of Paterson’s diverse population. Guided by this year’s theme, “Three Counties — One Family of Faith,” the DMA supports Catholic Charities, which cares for people in need; retired priests; seminarian education; and urban Catholic education. In words, images, and video clips, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney narrates a guided virtual tour of some of the diocese’s charitable works in each county. They include Catholic Charities programs such as the Partnership for Social Services in Sussex, the Fix It Program in Morris, and the Father English Food Pantry in Passaic, set to reopen soon after extensive renovations. In the video, Bishop Sweeney says, “In my five years as bishop, I’ve been privileged to see the life-saving work that takes place every day, supported by the Diocesan Ministries Appeal.” “Your gift to the Diocesan Ministries Appeal will help make dozens of unique and important programs and ministries available in our three counties. I ask for your generous support. Thank you for helping me make the Diocese of Paterson a shining example of God’s love and compassion. Simply put, I cannot do it without you,” Bishop Sweeney says in the video. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

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Watch: New Diocesan Ministries Appeal Video  #Catholic –

So many good works of charity by the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey are taking place every day in God’s name all over the three counties it covers: Passaic, Morris, and Sussex.

A new video promoting the 2025 Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA) asks diocesan faithful to contribute by highlighting the many programs and ministries that serve the Church of Paterson’s diverse population. Guided by this year’s theme, “Three Counties — One Family of Faith,” the DMA supports Catholic Charities, which cares for people in need; retired priests; seminarian education; and urban Catholic education.

YouTube player

In words, images, and video clips, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney narrates a guided virtual tour of some of the diocese’s charitable works in each county. They include Catholic Charities programs such as the Partnership for Social Services in Sussex, the Fix It Program in Morris, and the Father English Food Pantry in Passaic, set to reopen soon after extensive renovations.

In the video, Bishop Sweeney says, “In my five years as bishop, I’ve been privileged to see the life-saving work that takes place every day, supported by the Diocesan Ministries Appeal.”

“Your gift to the Diocesan Ministries Appeal will help make dozens of unique and important programs and ministries available in our three counties. I ask for your generous support. Thank you for helping me make the Diocese of Paterson a shining example of God’s love and compassion. Simply put, I cannot do it without you,” Bishop Sweeney says in the video.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

– So many good works of charity by the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey are taking place every day in God’s name all over the three counties it covers: Passaic, Morris, and Sussex. A new video promoting the 2025 Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA) asks diocesan faithful to contribute by highlighting the many programs and ministries that serve the Church of Paterson’s diverse population. Guided by this year’s theme, “Three Counties — One Family of Faith,” the DMA supports Catholic Charities, which cares for people in need; retired priests; seminarian education; and urban Catholic education. In words, images, and video clips, Bishop

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Before Nov. 4 election, N.J. bishops call voting a spiritual responsibility #Catholic – Ahead of the upcoming election, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese has joined his fellow Catholic bishops of New Jersey in releasing a new collaborative video about the Church’s teaching on “Faithful Citizenship.” The bishops emphasize that voting is not just a civic duty but a spiritual responsibility for Catholics in the three-and-a-half-minute video. The bishops’ message states, “God calls each of us as Catholics to further the work of his kingdom. One important way we can promote good values in our communities and in our nation is by participating in the political process. If you do not bring God’s voice into the voting booth and the decisions shaping our country, who will?” In the video, each bishop voiced a different part of the message while all endorsing it. In addition to Bishop Sweeney, the participating bishops are Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., archbishop of the Newark Archdiocese, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., of the Trenton Diocese, Coadjutor Archbishop James F. Checchio, of the New Orleans Archdiocese and the administrator of the Metuchen Diocese, and Bishop Joseph A. Williams of the Camden Diocese. This video is the second Faithful Citizenship video project sponsored by the New Jersey Catholic Conference.   James King, executive director, explained the project’s ongoing purpose: “With the Nov. 4 election fast approaching — and with New Jersey voters preparing to cast ballots that will elect a new governor, members of the General Assembly as well as several local municipal and school board elections — the bishops used this moment to remind Catholics of their obligation to participate in the democratic process.” “Additionally, the bishops remind the faithful that it is not the Church’s place to tell them how to vote,” King said. “Each of us has the right — and the responsibility — to follow our conscience, shaped by Scripture and the Church’s wisdom.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. King said the message is not only about voting and preparing to vote, but a call to action for all Catholics to help bring civility back to our political process. “Unfortunately, today, we see how political division has affected our society. Catholics are not immune to the effects of political division; too many of us allow our politics to shape our faith when our faith should shape our politics. We must remember that Christ calls us to be peacemakers.” The bishops offer two key resources at https://njcatholic.org to help Catholics prepare to vote and bring civility back to political discourse. They are: Civilize It: A call to bring civility, compassion, and clarity to public discourse, following the example of the Good Samaritan. Faithful Citizenship: A practical guide offering “dos and don’ts” during election season, including how to register, where to vote, and how to evaluate candidates and issues through a moral lens. The video closes with a simple but powerful call to action: “Your voice matters in New Jersey. Let us vote for what is good, what is true, and what builds a better future — for you, your family, and our neighbors. May God bless you.” The video is available in English and with Spanish captioning. It has been distributed to the diocesan media outlets in New Jersey. Watch the full video here. To access voter resources, visit https://njcatholic.org.  
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Before Nov. 4 election, N.J. bishops call voting a spiritual responsibility #Catholic – Ahead of the upcoming election, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese has joined his fellow Catholic bishops of New Jersey in releasing a new collaborative video about the Church’s teaching on “Faithful Citizenship.” The bishops emphasize that voting is not just a civic duty but a spiritual responsibility for Catholics in the three-and-a-half-minute video. The bishops’ message states, “God calls each of us as Catholics to further the work of his kingdom. One important way we can promote good values in our communities and in our nation is by participating in the political process. If you do not bring God’s voice into the voting booth and the decisions shaping our country, who will?” In the video, each bishop voiced a different part of the message while all endorsing it. In addition to Bishop Sweeney, the participating bishops are Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., archbishop of the Newark Archdiocese, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., of the Trenton Diocese, Coadjutor Archbishop James F. Checchio, of the New Orleans Archdiocese and the administrator of the Metuchen Diocese, and Bishop Joseph A. Williams of the Camden Diocese. This video is the second Faithful Citizenship video project sponsored by the New Jersey Catholic Conference.   James King, executive director, explained the project’s ongoing purpose: “With the Nov. 4 election fast approaching — and with New Jersey voters preparing to cast ballots that will elect a new governor, members of the General Assembly as well as several local municipal and school board elections — the bishops used this moment to remind Catholics of their obligation to participate in the democratic process.” “Additionally, the bishops remind the faithful that it is not the Church’s place to tell them how to vote,” King said. “Each of us has the right — and the responsibility — to follow our conscience, shaped by Scripture and the Church’s wisdom.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. King said the message is not only about voting and preparing to vote, but a call to action for all Catholics to help bring civility back to our political process. “Unfortunately, today, we see how political division has affected our society. Catholics are not immune to the effects of political division; too many of us allow our politics to shape our faith when our faith should shape our politics. We must remember that Christ calls us to be peacemakers.” The bishops offer two key resources at https://njcatholic.org to help Catholics prepare to vote and bring civility back to political discourse. They are: Civilize It: A call to bring civility, compassion, and clarity to public discourse, following the example of the Good Samaritan. Faithful Citizenship: A practical guide offering “dos and don’ts” during election season, including how to register, where to vote, and how to evaluate candidates and issues through a moral lens. The video closes with a simple but powerful call to action: “Your voice matters in New Jersey. Let us vote for what is good, what is true, and what builds a better future — for you, your family, and our neighbors. May God bless you.” The video is available in English and with Spanish captioning. It has been distributed to the diocesan media outlets in New Jersey. Watch the full video here. To access voter resources, visit https://njcatholic.org.  

unitedyam

Before Nov. 4 election, N.J. bishops call voting a spiritual responsibility #Catholic –

Ahead of the upcoming election, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese has joined his fellow Catholic bishops of New Jersey in releasing a new collaborative video about the Church’s teaching on “Faithful Citizenship.” The bishops emphasize that voting is not just a civic duty but a spiritual responsibility for Catholics in the three-and-a-half-minute video.

The bishops’ message states, “God calls each of us as Catholics to further the work of his kingdom. One important way we can promote good values in our communities and in our nation is by participating in the political process. If you do not bring God’s voice into the voting booth and the decisions shaping our country, who will?”

In the video, each bishop voiced a different part of the message while all endorsing it. In addition to Bishop Sweeney, the participating bishops are Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., archbishop of the Newark Archdiocese, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., of the Trenton Diocese, Coadjutor Archbishop James F. Checchio, of the New Orleans Archdiocese and the administrator of the Metuchen Diocese, and Bishop Joseph A. Williams of the Camden Diocese.

This video is the second Faithful Citizenship video project sponsored by the New Jersey Catholic Conference.

YouTube player

 

James King, executive director, explained the project’s ongoing purpose: “With the Nov. 4 election fast approaching — and with New Jersey voters preparing to cast ballots that will elect a new governor, members of the General Assembly as well as several local municipal and school board elections — the bishops used this moment to remind Catholics of their obligation to participate in the democratic process.”

“Additionally, the bishops remind the faithful that it is not the Church’s place to tell them how to vote,” King said. “Each of us has the right — and the responsibility — to follow our conscience, shaped by Scripture and the Church’s wisdom.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

King said the message is not only about voting and preparing to vote, but a call to action for all Catholics to help bring civility back to our political process.

“Unfortunately, today, we see how political division has affected our society. Catholics are not immune to the effects of political division; too many of us allow our politics to shape our faith when our faith should shape our politics. We must remember that Christ calls us to be peacemakers.”

The bishops offer two key resources at https://njcatholic.org to help Catholics prepare to vote and bring civility back to political discourse. They are:

  • Civilize It: A call to bring civility, compassion, and clarity to public discourse, following the example of the Good Samaritan.
  • Faithful Citizenship: A practical guide offering “dos and don’ts” during election season, including how to register, where to vote, and how to evaluate candidates and issues through a moral lens.

The video closes with a simple but powerful call to action: “Your voice matters in New Jersey. Let us vote for what is good, what is true, and what builds a better future — for you, your family, and our neighbors. May God bless you.”

The video is available in English and with Spanish captioning. It has been distributed to the diocesan media outlets in New Jersey. Watch the full video here. To access voter resources, visit https://njcatholic.org.

 

– Ahead of the upcoming election, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese has joined his fellow Catholic bishops of New Jersey in releasing a new collaborative video about the Church’s teaching on “Faithful Citizenship.” The bishops emphasize that voting is not just a civic duty but a spiritual responsibility for Catholics in the three-and-a-half-minute video. The bishops’ message states, “God calls each of us as Catholics to further the work of his kingdom. One important way we can promote good values in our communities and in our nation is by participating in the political process. If you do not

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Oct. 26, 2004: Cassini at Titan

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On Oct. 26, 2004, the Cassini spacecraft made its first close pass by Saturn’s planet-size moon, Titan (later known as Titan Flyby A). After a seven-year journey — the last four months of which were spent in orbit around Saturn — Cassini plunged within 745 miles (1,200 kilometers) of the world’s surface. It snapped hundredsContinue reading “Oct. 26, 2004: Cassini at Titan”

The post Oct. 26, 2004: Cassini at Titan appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Oct. 25, 1671: Iapetus is discovered

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In 1669, French-Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini arrived at the still-under-construction Paris Observatory as its new director. He quickly talked Louis XIV’s minister of finance into buying a 34-foot Campani refractor for the observatory, and on Oct. 25, 1671, used that refractor to discover Saturn’s moon Iapetus. The second saturnian moon discovered, after Christaan Huygens’ 1655Continue reading “Oct. 25, 1671: Iapetus is discovered”

The post Oct. 25, 1671: Iapetus is discovered appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Morristown convocation helps chart future of diocesan Hispanic ministry #Catholic - About 150 pastors and pastoral leaders serving Hispanic Catholics in the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey gathered on Oct. 18 for diocesan Hispanic Ministry Convocation at St. Mary’s Abbey on the Delbarton School’s campus in Morristown, N.J. They united to help chart the future of Hispanic ministry in the diocese. Hosffman Ospino, professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education and chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, led the synodal gathering. He has served as a consultant to help develop a process leading to a Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry in the Paterson Diocese, working alongside Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, diocesan officials, and an advisory team. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Presided by Bishop Sweeney, the convocation brought together representatives from parishes, diocesan offices, Catholic schools, apostolic movements, and other ministerial entities serving Hispanic Catholics. The goal of the gathering was to confirm the scope of the diocese’s ministry priorities for Hispanics identified to date and generate energy, commitment, and investment for the next three to five years. Nearly half of Catholics in the diocese self-identify as Hispanic. The process of developing those priorities was built on the insights learned through the Fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry (2018), also known as V Encuentro, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2023 National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry. This process resulted in a practical and engaging pastoral plan that is attentive to the most pressing needs associated with the pastoral accompaniment of Hispanic Catholics. The pastoral plan was developed through various levels of consultation and analysis — a synodal process. At 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 18, participants in the Hispanic Ministry Convocation joined those in the diocese for the Jubilee of Catechists, held on the same day at Delbarton, for a shared Mass in the church. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
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Morristown convocation helps chart future of diocesan Hispanic ministry #Catholic – About 150 pastors and pastoral leaders serving Hispanic Catholics in the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey gathered on Oct. 18 for diocesan Hispanic Ministry Convocation at St. Mary’s Abbey on the Delbarton School’s campus in Morristown, N.J. They united to help chart the future of Hispanic ministry in the diocese. Hosffman Ospino, professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education and chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, led the synodal gathering. He has served as a consultant to help develop a process leading to a Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry in the Paterson Diocese, working alongside Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, diocesan officials, and an advisory team. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Presided by Bishop Sweeney, the convocation brought together representatives from parishes, diocesan offices, Catholic schools, apostolic movements, and other ministerial entities serving Hispanic Catholics. The goal of the gathering was to confirm the scope of the diocese’s ministry priorities for Hispanics identified to date and generate energy, commitment, and investment for the next three to five years. Nearly half of Catholics in the diocese self-identify as Hispanic. The process of developing those priorities was built on the insights learned through the Fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry (2018), also known as V Encuentro, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2023 National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry. This process resulted in a practical and engaging pastoral plan that is attentive to the most pressing needs associated with the pastoral accompaniment of Hispanic Catholics. The pastoral plan was developed through various levels of consultation and analysis — a synodal process. At 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 18, participants in the Hispanic Ministry Convocation joined those in the diocese for the Jubilee of Catechists, held on the same day at Delbarton, for a shared Mass in the church. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

unitedyam

Morristown convocation helps chart future of diocesan Hispanic ministry #Catholic –

About 150 pastors and pastoral leaders serving Hispanic Catholics in the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey gathered on Oct. 18 for diocesan Hispanic Ministry Convocation at St. Mary’s Abbey on the Delbarton School’s campus in Morristown, N.J. They united to help chart the future of Hispanic ministry in the diocese.

Hosffman Ospino, professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education and chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, led the synodal gathering. He has served as a consultant to help develop a process leading to a Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry in the Paterson Diocese, working alongside Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, diocesan officials, and an advisory team.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Presided by Bishop Sweeney, the convocation brought together representatives from parishes, diocesan offices, Catholic schools, apostolic movements, and other ministerial entities serving Hispanic Catholics. The goal of the gathering was to confirm the scope of the diocese’s ministry priorities for Hispanics identified to date and generate energy, commitment, and investment for the next three to five years. Nearly half of Catholics in the diocese self-identify as Hispanic.

The process of developing those priorities was built on the insights learned through the Fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry (2018), also known as V Encuentro, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2023 National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry. This process resulted in a practical and engaging pastoral plan that is attentive to the most pressing needs associated with the pastoral accompaniment of Hispanic Catholics. The pastoral plan was developed through various levels of consultation and analysis — a synodal process.

At 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 18, participants in the Hispanic Ministry Convocation joined those in the diocese for the Jubilee of Catechists, held on the same day at Delbarton, for a shared Mass in the church.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

– About 150 pastors and pastoral leaders serving Hispanic Catholics in the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey gathered on Oct. 18 for diocesan Hispanic Ministry Convocation at St. Mary’s Abbey on the Delbarton School’s campus in Morristown, N.J. They united to help chart the future of Hispanic ministry in the diocese. Hosffman Ospino, professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education and chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, led the synodal gathering. He has served as a consultant to help develop a process leading to a Pastoral

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Beyond The Beacon Episode 99: How your gift powers hope across the three counties of the diocese #Catholic – How can a food pantry in one of the most impoverished cities in New Jersey feed 22,000 people each month? What does it take to empower the staff and volunteers of a drug and alcohol treatment center that helps hundreds of people in recovery every day? These questions and more are at the center of the latest episode of Beyond The Beacon. Tim Potter and Scott Milliken are the guests on this episode, which explores how the annual Diocesan Ministries Appeal is having a significant impact on many lives across the three counties of the Diocese of Paterson.  Potter is chief development officer for the Diocese of Paterson, and Milliken is chief executive officer of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Paterson. They join co-hosts Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish. The annual Diocesan Ministries Appeal funds seminary education, priest retirement and health care needs, Catholic Urban Education, and Catholic Charities. Learn more by listening or watching! Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
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Beyond The Beacon Episode 99: How your gift powers hope across the three counties of the diocese #Catholic – How can a food pantry in one of the most impoverished cities in New Jersey feed 22,000 people each month? What does it take to empower the staff and volunteers of a drug and alcohol treatment center that helps hundreds of people in recovery every day? These questions and more are at the center of the latest episode of Beyond The Beacon. Tim Potter and Scott Milliken are the guests on this episode, which explores how the annual Diocesan Ministries Appeal is having a significant impact on many lives across the three counties of the Diocese of Paterson.  Potter is chief development officer for the Diocese of Paterson, and Milliken is chief executive officer of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Paterson. They join co-hosts Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish. The annual Diocesan Ministries Appeal funds seminary education, priest retirement and health care needs, Catholic Urban Education, and Catholic Charities. Learn more by listening or watching! Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

unitedyam

Beyond The Beacon Episode 99: How your gift powers hope across the three counties of the diocese #Catholic –

How can a food pantry in one of the most impoverished cities in New Jersey feed 22,000 people each month? What does it take to empower the staff and volunteers of a drug and alcohol treatment center that helps hundreds of people in recovery every day? These questions and more are at the center of the latest episode of Beyond The Beacon.

Tim Potter and Scott Milliken are the guests on this episode, which explores how the annual Diocesan Ministries Appeal is having a significant impact on many lives across the three counties of the Diocese of Paterson. 

Potter is chief development officer for the Diocese of Paterson, and Milliken is chief executive officer of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Paterson. They join co-hosts Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish.

The annual Diocesan Ministries Appeal funds seminary education, priest retirement and health care needs, Catholic Urban Education, and Catholic Charities. Learn more by listening or watching!

Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

– How can a food pantry in one of the most impoverished cities in New Jersey feed 22,000 people each month? What does it take to empower the staff and volunteers of a drug and alcohol treatment center that helps hundreds of people in recovery every day? These questions and more are at the center of the latest episode of Beyond The Beacon. Tim Potter and Scott Milliken are the guests on this episode, which explores how the annual Diocesan Ministries Appeal is having a significant impact on many lives across the three counties of the Diocese of Paterson.  Potter is

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Can Mars’ ice confirm past life?

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In a recent study, a team of researchers from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Penn State suggested that future missions to Mars search for microbes or their remains in that planet’s ice, rather than in its rocks, clay, or soil. In a lab, the team recreated conditions that exist in the permafrost and iceContinue reading “Can Mars’ ice confirm past life?”

The post Can Mars’ ice confirm past life? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Faithful honored for distinguished service with Vivere Christus Award #Catholic - The Paterson Diocese in New Jersey recognized 64 individuals, couples, and families in appreciation for their outstanding service to the Church and the world with the Vivere Christus Award. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney thanked the recipients for their “generosity of time, talent, and treasure” as he presided at the awards ceremony in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., on Oct. 19. Families, friends, fellow parishioners, priests, and religious filled St. John’s to watch the honorees receive this special award — a brass medal, three inches in diameter. The medal is embossed with the Latin inscription “Vivere Christus Est,” meaning “To live is Christ.” Recipients were nominated by their parishes. “Today, we celebrate missionaries and mission with the Universal Church,” Bishop Sweeney said in his homily. He made a pastoral connection between the local Vivere Christus ceremony and a Mass the diocese held that day for World Mission Sunday. He told the award recipients, “The harvest is rich and the laborers are few. We’re so grateful for the generosity of time, talent, and treasure of so many throughout our diocese.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. During the ceremony, Bishop Sweeney blessed the awards. Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor and delegate to religious, assisted the bishop with distributing the awards, while Miriam Perez called the names of each recipient and their nominating parish to come forward to receive their medals. The Diocesan Office of Worship coordinated the event. After the ceremony, award recipients enjoyed an opportunity to take a photo with Bishop Sweeney and a reception. Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli created the award in 2009. Many parishes announced their Vivere Christus recipients in their bulletins, praising them for their dedication to their faith communities and the Church. Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) Parish in the Swartwood neighborhood of Stillwater Township, called its recipient, Tom Rivara, “one of our most reliable ushers at the 7:30 a.m. Mass, a role he fulfills faithfully each week.” “He’s also become something of a parish handyman, generously offering his time and skills to assist with maintenance and repairs around our buildings and grounds,” according to OLMC’s bulletin. “Tom’s dedication is quiet but constant. He’s always ready to lend a hand wherever needed. We are deeply grateful to Tom and to his family for their active presence and for the many ways they share their time and talents to serve our community.” BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
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Faithful honored for distinguished service with Vivere Christus Award #Catholic – The Paterson Diocese in New Jersey recognized 64 individuals, couples, and families in appreciation for their outstanding service to the Church and the world with the Vivere Christus Award. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney thanked the recipients for their “generosity of time, talent, and treasure” as he presided at the awards ceremony in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., on Oct. 19. Families, friends, fellow parishioners, priests, and religious filled St. John’s to watch the honorees receive this special award — a brass medal, three inches in diameter. The medal is embossed with the Latin inscription “Vivere Christus Est,” meaning “To live is Christ.” Recipients were nominated by their parishes. “Today, we celebrate missionaries and mission with the Universal Church,” Bishop Sweeney said in his homily. He made a pastoral connection between the local Vivere Christus ceremony and a Mass the diocese held that day for World Mission Sunday. He told the award recipients, “The harvest is rich and the laborers are few. We’re so grateful for the generosity of time, talent, and treasure of so many throughout our diocese.” Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. During the ceremony, Bishop Sweeney blessed the awards. Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor and delegate to religious, assisted the bishop with distributing the awards, while Miriam Perez called the names of each recipient and their nominating parish to come forward to receive their medals. The Diocesan Office of Worship coordinated the event. After the ceremony, award recipients enjoyed an opportunity to take a photo with Bishop Sweeney and a reception. Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli created the award in 2009. Many parishes announced their Vivere Christus recipients in their bulletins, praising them for their dedication to their faith communities and the Church. Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) Parish in the Swartwood neighborhood of Stillwater Township, called its recipient, Tom Rivara, “one of our most reliable ushers at the 7:30 a.m. Mass, a role he fulfills faithfully each week.” “He’s also become something of a parish handyman, generously offering his time and skills to assist with maintenance and repairs around our buildings and grounds,” according to OLMC’s bulletin. “Tom’s dedication is quiet but constant. He’s always ready to lend a hand wherever needed. We are deeply grateful to Tom and to his family for their active presence and for the many ways they share their time and talents to serve our community.” BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

unitedyam

Faithful honored for distinguished service with Vivere Christus Award #Catholic –

The Paterson Diocese in New Jersey recognized 64 individuals, couples, and families in appreciation for their outstanding service to the Church and the world with the Vivere Christus Award. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney thanked the recipients for their “generosity of time, talent, and treasure” as he presided at the awards ceremony in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., on Oct. 19.

Families, friends, fellow parishioners, priests, and religious filled St. John’s to watch the honorees receive this special award — a brass medal, three inches in diameter. The medal is embossed with the Latin inscription “Vivere Christus Est,” meaning “To live is Christ.” Recipients were nominated by their parishes.

“Today, we celebrate missionaries and mission with the Universal Church,” Bishop Sweeney said in his homily. He made a pastoral connection between the local Vivere Christus ceremony and a Mass the diocese held that day for World Mission Sunday. He told the award recipients, “The harvest is rich and the laborers are few. We’re so grateful for the generosity of time, talent, and treasure of so many throughout our diocese.”

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

During the ceremony, Bishop Sweeney blessed the awards. Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor and delegate to religious, assisted the bishop with distributing the awards, while Miriam Perez called the names of each recipient and their nominating parish to come forward to receive their medals. The Diocesan Office of Worship coordinated the event.

After the ceremony, award recipients enjoyed an opportunity to take a photo with Bishop Sweeney and a reception.

Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli created the award in 2009.

Many parishes announced their Vivere Christus recipients in their bulletins, praising them for their dedication to their faith communities and the Church. Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) Parish in the Swartwood neighborhood of Stillwater Township, called its recipient, Tom Rivara, “one of our most reliable ushers at the 7:30 a.m. Mass, a role he fulfills faithfully each week.”

“He’s also become something of a parish handyman, generously offering his time and skills to assist with maintenance and repairs around our buildings and grounds,” according to OLMC’s bulletin. “Tom’s dedication is quiet but constant. He’s always ready to lend a hand wherever needed. We are deeply grateful to Tom and to his family for their active presence and for the many ways they share their time and talents to serve our community.”

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

– The Paterson Diocese in New Jersey recognized 64 individuals, couples, and families in appreciation for their outstanding service to the Church and the world with the Vivere Christus Award. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney thanked the recipients for their “generosity of time, talent, and treasure” as he presided at the awards ceremony in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., on Oct. 19. Families, friends, fellow parishioners, priests, and religious filled St. John’s to watch the honorees receive this special award — a brass medal, three inches in diameter. The medal is embossed with the Latin inscription “Vivere

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Totowa Mass honors missionaries helping world’s poor #Catholic - The Paterson Diocese in New Jersey celebrated a Jubilee of Missionaries on Oct. 19 at St. James of the Marches Parish in Totowa, N.J., as part of the diocese’s annual World Mission Sunday Mass. He led the diocese in thanking and praying for missionaries, priests, laity, and consecrated persons for spreading the Gospel around the world, including to the most vulnerable and impoverished. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist of the Mass. Concelebrating the liturgy were many priests, including Father Marc Mancini, pastor of St. James and a diocesan judicial vicar, as well as missionary priests who have served God’s people in countries around the world. Religious sisters from the diocese also attended. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Mila Burdeos, diocesan mission director, coordinates the local World Mission Sunday Mass. The diocese, through the Mission Office, organizes activities to encourage and inspire the faithful to offer prayer and financial sacrifices to support the Church’s ongoing missionary works. A reception in the parish hall followed the Mass. The Jubilee of Missionaries was among the many events the diocese has been hosting for the Universal Church’s Jubilee of Hope 2025. World Mission Sunday was initiated in 1822 by Blessed Pauline Jaricot, who founded the Society for the Propagation of the Faith 200 years ago. This organization serves as a network of prayer and coordinates the collection of pennies for missionaries. Her work led to World Mission Sunday, which helps the Pope support missionary activity. This universal fund provided help to the new and growing churches in the United States. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
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Totowa Mass honors missionaries helping world’s poor #Catholic – The Paterson Diocese in New Jersey celebrated a Jubilee of Missionaries on Oct. 19 at St. James of the Marches Parish in Totowa, N.J., as part of the diocese’s annual World Mission Sunday Mass. He led the diocese in thanking and praying for missionaries, priests, laity, and consecrated persons for spreading the Gospel around the world, including to the most vulnerable and impoverished. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist of the Mass. Concelebrating the liturgy were many priests, including Father Marc Mancini, pastor of St. James and a diocesan judicial vicar, as well as missionary priests who have served God’s people in countries around the world. Religious sisters from the diocese also attended. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Mila Burdeos, diocesan mission director, coordinates the local World Mission Sunday Mass. The diocese, through the Mission Office, organizes activities to encourage and inspire the faithful to offer prayer and financial sacrifices to support the Church’s ongoing missionary works. A reception in the parish hall followed the Mass. The Jubilee of Missionaries was among the many events the diocese has been hosting for the Universal Church’s Jubilee of Hope 2025. World Mission Sunday was initiated in 1822 by Blessed Pauline Jaricot, who founded the Society for the Propagation of the Faith 200 years ago. This organization serves as a network of prayer and coordinates the collection of pennies for missionaries. Her work led to World Mission Sunday, which helps the Pope support missionary activity. This universal fund provided help to the new and growing churches in the United States. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

unitedyam

Totowa Mass honors missionaries helping world’s poor #Catholic –

The Paterson Diocese in New Jersey celebrated a Jubilee of Missionaries on Oct. 19 at St. James of the Marches Parish in Totowa, N.J., as part of the diocese’s annual World Mission Sunday Mass. He led the diocese in thanking and praying for missionaries, priests, laity, and consecrated persons for spreading the Gospel around the world, including to the most vulnerable and impoverished.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist of the Mass. Concelebrating the liturgy were many priests, including Father Marc Mancini, pastor of St. James and a diocesan judicial vicar, as well as missionary priests who have served God’s people in countries around the world. Religious sisters from the diocese also attended.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Mila Burdeos, diocesan mission director, coordinates the local World Mission Sunday Mass. The diocese, through the Mission Office, organizes activities to encourage and inspire the faithful to offer prayer and financial sacrifices to support the Church’s ongoing missionary works. A reception in the parish hall followed the Mass.

The Jubilee of Missionaries was among the many events the diocese has been hosting for the Universal Church’s Jubilee of Hope 2025.

World Mission Sunday was initiated in 1822 by Blessed Pauline Jaricot, who founded the Society for the Propagation of the Faith 200 years ago. This organization serves as a network of prayer and coordinates the collection of pennies for missionaries. Her work led to World Mission Sunday, which helps the Pope support missionary activity. This universal fund provided help to the new and growing churches in the United States.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

– The Paterson Diocese in New Jersey celebrated a Jubilee of Missionaries on Oct. 19 at St. James of the Marches Parish in Totowa, N.J., as part of the diocese’s annual World Mission Sunday Mass. He led the diocese in thanking and praying for missionaries, priests, laity, and consecrated persons for spreading the Gospel around the world, including to the most vulnerable and impoverished. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist of the Mass. Concelebrating the liturgy were many priests, including Father Marc Mancini, pastor of St. James and a diocesan judicial vicar, as well as missionary priests

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Don’t miss the eclipse of our lifetimes

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With available spots left to travel to Egypt and witness the grand spectacle of a total solar eclipse filling up fast, I was happy to learn that Astronomy magazine’s tour provider, Eclipse Traveler, has added another trip. This one, called 2027 Luxor, is a 5-day/4-night adventure beginning July 30 and ending August 3, 2027. August 2, ofContinue reading “Don’t miss the eclipse of our lifetimes”

The post Don’t miss the eclipse of our lifetimes appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Why every stargazer needs a logbook

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From Galileo’s meticulous sketches of Jupiter’s moons in 1610 to Caroline Herschel’s handwritten notes of comet discoveries, the history of astronomy is built on careful note-taking. Logbooks with descriptions of as-yet-unknown objects, sketches of Saturn’s rings, and hand-drawn plots of the stars led to numerous discoveries. Today, whether you’re a newcomer scanning the sky withContinue reading “Why every stargazer needs a logbook”

The post Why every stargazer needs a logbook appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Bishop Sweeney appointment of deans: Oct. 2025 #Catholic – Bishop Sweeney has appointed the following priests to serve at dean upon the expiration of the previous dean’s term, due to reelection to a second term, or due to a vacancy because of a transfer of a pastor outside of the deanery. All of the appointments were effective by Oct. 1, 2025. Clifton: Father Jeider Barraza Passaic: Father Rolands Uribe North Passaic: Father Greg Golba Eastern Morris: Father Vidal Gonzales Northeast Morris: Father Darwin Lastra Western Morris: Father Sean McDonnell Sussex (West & East): Father A. Richard Carton
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Bishop Sweeney appointment of deans: Oct. 2025 #Catholic – Bishop Sweeney has appointed the following priests to serve at dean upon the expiration of the previous dean’s term, due to reelection to a second term, or due to a vacancy because of a transfer of a pastor outside of the deanery. All of the appointments were effective by Oct. 1, 2025. Clifton: Father Jeider Barraza Passaic: Father Rolands Uribe North Passaic: Father Greg Golba Eastern Morris: Father Vidal Gonzales Northeast Morris: Father Darwin Lastra Western Morris: Father Sean McDonnell Sussex (West & East): Father A. Richard Carton

unitedyam

Bishop Sweeney appointment of deans: Oct. 2025 #Catholic –

Bishop Sweeney has appointed the following priests to serve at dean upon the expiration of the previous dean’s term, due to reelection to a second term, or due to a vacancy because of a transfer of a pastor outside of the deanery. All of the appointments were effective by Oct. 1, 2025.

Clifton:

Father Jeider Barraza

Passaic:

Father Rolands Uribe

North Passaic:

Father Greg Golba

Eastern Morris:

Father Vidal Gonzales

Northeast Morris:

Father Darwin Lastra

Western Morris:

Father Sean McDonnell

Sussex (West & East):

Father A. Richard Carton

– Bishop Sweeney has appointed the following priests to serve at dean upon the expiration of the previous dean’s term, due to reelection to a second term, or due to a vacancy because of a transfer of a pastor outside of the deanery. All of the appointments were effective by Oct. 1, 2025. Clifton: Father Jeider Barraza Passaic: Father Rolands Uribe North Passaic: Father Greg Golba Eastern Morris: Father Vidal Gonzales Northeast Morris: Father Darwin Lastra Western Morris: Father Sean McDonnell Sussex (West & East): Father A. Richard Carton

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Assumption Knights honor charitable service that uplifts poor people #Catholic - The Knights of Columbus Council 359 of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Morristown, N.J., on Oct. 11 held their 11th Annual Mass and Dinner of Appreciation to recognize two community leaders. The knights honored Dave Scott, also known as G. David Scott, executive director of the Market Street Mission in Morristown from 1989 to 2024. Mission has provided meals, shelter, and hope to thousands who are homeless, hungry, and struggling with addiction through the power of Christ and the support of the community. Under his leadership, the staff grew from a few members to nearly 80. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. That night, the knights also recognized Mike Bannon, a past grand knight, a significant contributor to the council, and a recognized leader in the community. He was recently named grand marshal of the 2026 Morris County St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Bannon is a member and former president of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Morris County and the Irish-American Association of Northwest Jersey. Retired, he is also an ardent volunteer, involved with DAWN Center for Independent Living and ARC Morris. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated a Mass in Assumption Church. Concelebrating were Msgr. John E. Hart, the pastor of the parish, and Father Krzysztof Tyszko, parochial vicar of Assumption. Joining them were Father Thomas Fallone, pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township, N.J., and Father Daniel Chajkowski, a chaplain at Morristown Medical Center in Morristown who lives at St Thomas. Assumption and St. Thomas support Knights of Columbus Council 359. After the Mass, a Dinner of Appreciation was held at Spring Brook Country Club, also in Morristown. The event raised funds for the more than 35 charities the knights support. “The evening was a tremendous success. The event honored Dave Scott, Mike Bannon, and the outstanding charitable service of the Assumption knights to people who are poor and needy,” Msgr. Hart said. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
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Assumption Knights honor charitable service that uplifts poor people #Catholic – The Knights of Columbus Council 359 of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Morristown, N.J., on Oct. 11 held their 11th Annual Mass and Dinner of Appreciation to recognize two community leaders. The knights honored Dave Scott, also known as G. David Scott, executive director of the Market Street Mission in Morristown from 1989 to 2024. Mission has provided meals, shelter, and hope to thousands who are homeless, hungry, and struggling with addiction through the power of Christ and the support of the community. Under his leadership, the staff grew from a few members to nearly 80. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. That night, the knights also recognized Mike Bannon, a past grand knight, a significant contributor to the council, and a recognized leader in the community. He was recently named grand marshal of the 2026 Morris County St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Bannon is a member and former president of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Morris County and the Irish-American Association of Northwest Jersey. Retired, he is also an ardent volunteer, involved with DAWN Center for Independent Living and ARC Morris. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated a Mass in Assumption Church. Concelebrating were Msgr. John E. Hart, the pastor of the parish, and Father Krzysztof Tyszko, parochial vicar of Assumption. Joining them were Father Thomas Fallone, pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township, N.J., and Father Daniel Chajkowski, a chaplain at Morristown Medical Center in Morristown who lives at St Thomas. Assumption and St. Thomas support Knights of Columbus Council 359. After the Mass, a Dinner of Appreciation was held at Spring Brook Country Club, also in Morristown. The event raised funds for the more than 35 charities the knights support. “The evening was a tremendous success. The event honored Dave Scott, Mike Bannon, and the outstanding charitable service of the Assumption knights to people who are poor and needy,” Msgr. Hart said. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

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Assumption Knights honor charitable service that uplifts poor people #Catholic –

The Knights of Columbus Council 359 of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Morristown, N.J., on Oct. 11 held their 11th Annual Mass and Dinner of Appreciation to recognize two community leaders.

The knights honored Dave Scott, also known as G. David Scott, executive director of the Market Street Mission in Morristown from 1989 to 2024. Mission has provided meals, shelter, and hope to thousands who are homeless, hungry, and struggling with addiction through the power of Christ and the support of the community. Under his leadership, the staff grew from a few members to nearly 80.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

That night, the knights also recognized Mike Bannon, a past grand knight, a significant contributor to the council, and a recognized leader in the community. He was recently named grand marshal of the 2026 Morris County St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Bannon is a member and former president of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Morris County and the Irish-American Association of Northwest Jersey. Retired, he is also an ardent volunteer, involved with DAWN Center for Independent Living and ARC Morris.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated a Mass in Assumption Church. Concelebrating were Msgr. John E. Hart, the pastor of the parish, and Father Krzysztof Tyszko, parochial vicar of Assumption. Joining them were Father Thomas Fallone, pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township, N.J., and Father Daniel Chajkowski, a chaplain at Morristown Medical Center in Morristown who lives at St Thomas. Assumption and St. Thomas support Knights of Columbus Council 359.

After the Mass, a Dinner of Appreciation was held at Spring Brook Country Club, also in Morristown. The event raised funds for the more than 35 charities the knights support.

“The evening was a tremendous success. The event honored Dave Scott, Mike Bannon, and the outstanding charitable service of the Assumption knights to people who are poor and needy,” Msgr. Hart said.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

– The Knights of Columbus Council 359 of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Morristown, N.J., on Oct. 11 held their 11th Annual Mass and Dinner of Appreciation to recognize two community leaders. The knights honored Dave Scott, also known as G. David Scott, executive director of the Market Street Mission in Morristown from 1989 to 2024. Mission has provided meals, shelter, and hope to thousands who are homeless, hungry, and struggling with addiction through the power of Christ and the support of the community. Under his leadership, the staff grew from a few members to nearly 80. Click

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Paterson delegate to lead women’s religious order in U.S. #Catholic - Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood of Paterson, N.J., to install Sister Regi Varghese as the delegate leading the congregation in the United States during a Mass he celebrated on Oct. 13. She will serve a three-year term as delegate. In Paterson, 10 members of the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood sponsor and operate St. Joseph’s Rest Home, a nonprofit, State-Licensed residential facility for senior women, and St. Michael’s Junior Day Nursery for children aged 3 to 5 years old. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist of the Mass. The concelebrants were Father Charles Waller, a retired diocesan priest and chaplain to the sisters; Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of St. Gerard Majella and Our Lady of Pompei parishes, both in Paterson; Father Marc Mancini, pastor of St. James of the Marches Parish in Totowa, N.J.; Father Manuel Alejandro Cuellar, parochial vicar of St. Gerard Majella and Our Lady of Pompei; and Father Erasmus Okere, parochial vicar of Blessed Sacrament/St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Newark, N.J. These priests were joined by Father Simmy Thomas, the parish vicar of St. George Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, also in Paterson. The Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood have 17 members in the United States, including locations in New York and Connecticut. Thomas Marie Fusco established the congregation in 1873 in Pagani, Italy. The sisters’ apostolate encompasses the care of orphans, vulnerable children, the sick, and the elderly, as well as the education of the youth. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
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Paterson delegate to lead women’s religious order in U.S. #Catholic – Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood of Paterson, N.J., to install Sister Regi Varghese as the delegate leading the congregation in the United States during a Mass he celebrated on Oct. 13. She will serve a three-year term as delegate. In Paterson, 10 members of the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood sponsor and operate St. Joseph’s Rest Home, a nonprofit, State-Licensed residential facility for senior women, and St. Michael’s Junior Day Nursery for children aged 3 to 5 years old. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist of the Mass. The concelebrants were Father Charles Waller, a retired diocesan priest and chaplain to the sisters; Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of St. Gerard Majella and Our Lady of Pompei parishes, both in Paterson; Father Marc Mancini, pastor of St. James of the Marches Parish in Totowa, N.J.; Father Manuel Alejandro Cuellar, parochial vicar of St. Gerard Majella and Our Lady of Pompei; and Father Erasmus Okere, parochial vicar of Blessed Sacrament/St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Newark, N.J. These priests were joined by Father Simmy Thomas, the parish vicar of St. George Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, also in Paterson. The Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood have 17 members in the United States, including locations in New York and Connecticut. Thomas Marie Fusco established the congregation in 1873 in Pagani, Italy. The sisters’ apostolate encompasses the care of orphans, vulnerable children, the sick, and the elderly, as well as the education of the youth. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

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Paterson delegate to lead women’s religious order in U.S. #Catholic –

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood of Paterson, N.J., to install Sister Regi Varghese as the delegate leading the congregation in the United States during a Mass he celebrated on Oct. 13. She will serve a three-year term as delegate.

In Paterson, 10 members of the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood sponsor and operate St. Joseph’s Rest Home, a nonprofit, State-Licensed residential facility for senior women, and St. Michael’s Junior Day Nursery for children aged 3 to 5 years old.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist of the Mass. The concelebrants were Father Charles Waller, a retired diocesan priest and chaplain to the sisters; Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of St. Gerard Majella and Our Lady of Pompei parishes, both in Paterson; Father Marc Mancini, pastor of St. James of the Marches Parish in Totowa, N.J.; Father Manuel Alejandro Cuellar, parochial vicar of St. Gerard Majella and Our Lady of Pompei; and Father Erasmus Okere, parochial vicar of Blessed Sacrament/St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Newark, N.J. These priests were joined by Father Simmy Thomas, the parish vicar of St. George Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, also in Paterson.

The Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood have 17 members in the United States, including locations in New York and Connecticut. Thomas Marie Fusco established the congregation in 1873 in Pagani, Italy. The sisters’ apostolate encompasses the care of orphans, vulnerable children, the sick, and the elderly, as well as the education of the youth.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

– Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood of Paterson, N.J., to install Sister Regi Varghese as the delegate leading the congregation in the United States during a Mass he celebrated on Oct. 13. She will serve a three-year term as delegate. In Paterson, 10 members of the Daughters of Charity of the Most Precious Blood sponsor and operate St. Joseph’s Rest Home, a nonprofit, State-Licensed residential facility for senior women, and St. Michael’s Junior Day Nursery for children aged 3 to 5 years old. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Bishop

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Oct. 18, 1977: The enigma of Chiron

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On Oct. 18, 1977, Charles Kowal was at the 1.2-meter Schmidt telescope at Palomar Observatory in California – reportedly his favorite equipment at the facility to observe with – when he unwittingly discovered an entirely new class of objects. Kowal was conducting a survey for slow-moving objects beyond the Main Belt, taking two plates ofContinue reading “Oct. 18, 1977: The enigma of Chiron”

The post Oct. 18, 1977: The enigma of Chiron appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Fireworks Galaxy

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How can a celestial object be bright and faint at the same time? The answer hinges on its surface brightness. In the case of spiral galaxy NGC 6946, its overall brightness, magnitude 9.6, is high for a galaxy. Unfortunately, that light spreads over an area 1/20 of 1° across. For comparison, that area is one-quarter ofContinue reading “Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Fireworks Galaxy”

The post Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Fireworks Galaxy appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Oct. 16, 1975: The first GOES satellite launches

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A joint project of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) program provides continuous monitoring of weather both on Earth and in space. The GOES satellites map lightning activity, measure and image atmospheric conditions, and track solar activity and space weather. This constant flow of data isContinue reading “Oct. 16, 1975: The first GOES satellite launches”

The post Oct. 16, 1975: The first GOES satellite launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Beyond The Beacon Episode 98: Youth ministry’s impact – How it forms a strong Catholic faith #Catholic – Is youth ministry just pizza and retreats? Think again. We dive deep into the vital role Catholic youth ministry plays in forming lifelong faith. Featuring insightful interviews with seasoned youth ministers, we explore the powerful impact of youth ministry—not just on attendance, but on how it actively develops and strengthens a strong, authentic Catholic identity in young people. Hear some strategies for connecting with teens and navigating modern challenges. If you want to know what works in building the Church’s future, this episode is a must-listen. Joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for this episode is: John Cammarata. Director of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Paterson;  and Director of Religious Education/Youth Ministry at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Parsippany, N.J. Alyssa Carolan. Director of Faith Formation & Youth Ministry at St. John Vianney Parish in the Stockholm neighborhood of Hardyston, N.J., and St. Thomas the Apostle in the Oak Ridge neighborhood of Jefferson, N.J. Yadira Sifonte. Youth Minister at The Catholic Community of St. Brendan & St. George, in Clifton, N.J. Justin Carrasco. Director of Young Prophets at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J. Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.
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Beyond The Beacon Episode 98: Youth ministry’s impact – How it forms a strong Catholic faith #Catholic – Is youth ministry just pizza and retreats? Think again. We dive deep into the vital role Catholic youth ministry plays in forming lifelong faith. Featuring insightful interviews with seasoned youth ministers, we explore the powerful impact of youth ministry—not just on attendance, but on how it actively develops and strengthens a strong, authentic Catholic identity in young people. Hear some strategies for connecting with teens and navigating modern challenges. If you want to know what works in building the Church’s future, this episode is a must-listen. Joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for this episode is: John Cammarata. Director of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Paterson;  and Director of Religious Education/Youth Ministry at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Parsippany, N.J. Alyssa Carolan. Director of Faith Formation & Youth Ministry at St. John Vianney Parish in the Stockholm neighborhood of Hardyston, N.J., and St. Thomas the Apostle in the Oak Ridge neighborhood of Jefferson, N.J. Yadira Sifonte. Youth Minister at The Catholic Community of St. Brendan & St. George, in Clifton, N.J. Justin Carrasco. Director of Young Prophets at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J. Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.

unitedyam

Beyond The Beacon Episode 98: Youth ministry’s impact – How it forms a strong Catholic faith #Catholic –

Is youth ministry just pizza and retreats? Think again. We dive deep into the vital role Catholic youth ministry plays in forming lifelong faith. Featuring insightful interviews with seasoned youth ministers, we explore the powerful impact of youth ministry—not just on attendance, but on how it actively develops and strengthens a strong, authentic Catholic identity in young people. Hear some strategies for connecting with teens and navigating modern challenges. If you want to know what works in building the Church’s future, this episode is a must-listen.

Joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for this episode is:

  • John Cammarata. Director of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Paterson;  and Director of Religious Education/Youth Ministry at St. Peter the Apostle Church in Parsippany, N.J.
  • Alyssa Carolan. Director of Faith Formation & Youth Ministry at St. John Vianney Parish in the Stockholm neighborhood of Hardyston, N.J., and St. Thomas the Apostle in the Oak Ridge neighborhood of Jefferson, N.J.
  • Yadira Sifonte. Youth Minister at The Catholic Community of St. Brendan & St. George, in Clifton, N.J.
  • Justin Carrasco. Director of Young Prophets at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J.

Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.

– Is youth ministry just pizza and retreats? Think again. We dive deep into the vital role Catholic youth ministry plays in forming lifelong faith. Featuring insightful interviews with seasoned youth ministers, we explore the powerful impact of youth ministry—not just on attendance, but on how it actively develops and strengthens a strong, authentic Catholic identity in young people. Hear some strategies for connecting with teens and navigating modern challenges. If you want to know what works in building the Church’s future, this episode is a must-listen. Joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish for this episode is:

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More than 1,000 find hope during Passaic rosary procession #Catholic - As a statue of the Blessed Mother passed through the city streets of Passaic, N.J., for five miles, Catholics found a moment of hope. On Oct. 10, more than 1,000 people from all eight Catholic churches in the city participated in a rosary procession. This annual tradition takes place in the Passaic during October, the Month of the Holy Rosary. This year’s procession marked the first time Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney joined the walk at Bishop Paterson. The procession began at St. Anthony of Padua Church. It ended at the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary Church with stops at five other Catholic churches in the city. They were Holy Trinity, St. Joseph, St. Mary of the Assumption, Our Lady of Fatima/St. Nicholas and St. Stephen. All four mysteries of the rosary — Joyful, Glorious, Sorrowful, and Luminous — were recited with prayers in English, Spanish, Polish, and Hungarian, reflecting the diversity of the city, which is historically known as a first dwelling place for immigrants coming to the United States. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. People of all ages walked— from mothers holding their infants to older individuals walking with canes. Hundreds participated in the procession throughout the city for almost three hours. Many stood on the sidewalk and from their homes, looking out their windows and from their front steps to see the procession. On a mountain of white flowers, a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe stood on the bed of a pickup truck. Each parish also carried statues of the Blessed Mother along with banners with the name of the parish. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  
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More than 1,000 find hope during Passaic rosary procession #Catholic – As a statue of the Blessed Mother passed through the city streets of Passaic, N.J., for five miles, Catholics found a moment of hope. On Oct. 10, more than 1,000 people from all eight Catholic churches in the city participated in a rosary procession. This annual tradition takes place in the Passaic during October, the Month of the Holy Rosary. This year’s procession marked the first time Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney joined the walk at Bishop Paterson. The procession began at St. Anthony of Padua Church. It ended at the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary Church with stops at five other Catholic churches in the city. They were Holy Trinity, St. Joseph, St. Mary of the Assumption, Our Lady of Fatima/St. Nicholas and St. Stephen. All four mysteries of the rosary — Joyful, Glorious, Sorrowful, and Luminous — were recited with prayers in English, Spanish, Polish, and Hungarian, reflecting the diversity of the city, which is historically known as a first dwelling place for immigrants coming to the United States. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. People of all ages walked— from mothers holding their infants to older individuals walking with canes. Hundreds participated in the procession throughout the city for almost three hours. Many stood on the sidewalk and from their homes, looking out their windows and from their front steps to see the procession. On a mountain of white flowers, a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe stood on the bed of a pickup truck. Each parish also carried statues of the Blessed Mother along with banners with the name of the parish. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]  

unitedyam

More than 1,000 find hope during Passaic rosary procession #Catholic –

As a statue of the Blessed Mother passed through the city streets of Passaic, N.J., for five miles, Catholics found a moment of hope. On Oct. 10, more than 1,000 people from all eight Catholic churches in the city participated in a rosary procession. This annual tradition takes place in the Passaic during October, the Month of the Holy Rosary. This year’s procession marked the first time Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney joined the walk at Bishop Paterson.

The procession began at St. Anthony of Padua Church. It ended at the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary Church with stops at five other Catholic churches in the city. They were Holy Trinity, St. Joseph, St. Mary of the Assumption, Our Lady of Fatima/St. Nicholas and St. Stephen.

All four mysteries of the rosary — Joyful, Glorious, Sorrowful, and Luminous — were recited with prayers in English, Spanish, Polish, and Hungarian, reflecting the diversity of the city, which is historically known as a first dwelling place for immigrants coming to the United States.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

People of all ages walked— from mothers holding their infants to older individuals walking with canes.

Hundreds participated in the procession throughout the city for almost three hours. Many stood on the sidewalk and from their homes, looking out their windows and from their front steps to see the procession.

On a mountain of white flowers, a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe stood on the bed of a pickup truck. Each parish also carried statues of the Blessed Mother along with banners with the name of the parish.

BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI

– As a statue of the Blessed Mother passed through the city streets of Passaic, N.J., for five miles, Catholics found a moment of hope. On Oct. 10, more than 1,000 people from all eight Catholic churches in the city participated in a rosary procession. This annual tradition takes place in the Passaic during October, the Month of the Holy Rosary. This year’s procession marked the first time Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney joined the walk at Bishop Paterson. The procession began at St. Anthony of Padua Church. It ended at the Diocesan Shrine of St. John Paul II/Holy Rosary Church with

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Oct. 14, 1947: Flying faster than sound

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When Glamorous Glennis, an experimental Bell X-1 aircraft built to mimic the shape of a .50 caliber bullet, shot to 700 mph (1,127 km/h) with Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager inside, it paved the way for Americans to one day travel to space. On Oct. 14, 1947, the X-1 was launched from the bomb bayContinue reading “Oct. 14, 1947: Flying faster than sound”

The post Oct. 14, 1947: Flying faster than sound appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Diocesan Ministries Appeal helps fund formation of future priests
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Diocesan Ministries Appeal helps fund formation of future priests

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Diocesan Ministries Appeal helps fund formation of future priests – The nine men studying for the priesthood in the Diocese of Paterson in New Jersey, are “works in progress,” said Father Charles Lana, diocesan vocations director. “Because they don’t automatically become priests when they are born, seminaries form these men whom God calls to the priesthood. They learn the teachings of the Church and how to live lives of prayer and minister to people effectively — from priests who already know how to live that life,” Father Lana said. “Our seminarians are learning to become ‘another Christ’ as priests are called to be. For the first time in a long

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Seminarian a step from priesthood with Rome diaconal ordination #Catholic - Deacon Lucas Folan, a seminarian from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, studying in Rome, called his ordination to the diaconate on Oct. 2, alongside 15 other seminarians from the United States, a “gift of God’s love” that will help him “draw people to God.” Deacon Folan’s ordination as a temporary deacon, held at the Altar of St. Peter’s Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, marks his last step before being ordained to the diocesan priesthood next year. At 26, Deacon Folan, whose home parish is Notre Dame of Mount Carmel in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, was ordained by Bishop Joseph G. Hanefeldt of the Diocese of Grand Island, Neb. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese was one of the concelebrants, along with priests from the diocese. Additionally, he assisted in vesting Deacon Folan in his stole and dalmatic during the Rite of Ordination at the Mass, which was livestreamed on EWTN. Deacon Folan recently started his fourth year of theology studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Bishop Sweeney participated in his ordination as part of a diocesan pilgrimage he was leading to Assisi and Rome, from Sept. 26 to Oct. 4 in observance of the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025, which the Universal Church is celebrating. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “I feel at peace. My ordination is a gift of God’s love. I am called to draw people to God. My duties as a deacon include preaching. However, my ordination is about transforming my soul so everything I do becomes a diaconal activity,” Deacon Folan said. “I’m happy that Bishop Sweeney was there to participate in the Mass and vest me.” Deacon Folan comes from an Irish-Hispanic family, and his fluent in Spanish. He has assisted with Spanish Masses at some parishes he served for summer assignments, including Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Boonton, N.J., and Our Lady of Victories/Our Lady of Lourdes in Paterson, N.J. His mother, Cristina Folan, is Colombian and serves as Notre Dame’s director of communications and evangelization. Cristina Folan, her husband, Ken, and their two other children, Mitchell and Teresa, were among the 1,200 friends and family members of the 16 deacons who attended the ordination Mass. On social media, Bishop Sweeney called Deacon Lucas’ ordination Mass in St. Peter’s a “beautiful and powerful, prayerful experience.” “God bless our diocesan seminarian, Deacon Lucas,” Bishop Sweeney said. The next day, Oct. 3, Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant of a Mass at St. Mary Major in Rome, where Deacon Lucas first preached as a deacon. On social media, the bishop posted, “He did a wonderful job.” Deacon Folan has been involved in service in the seminary in Rome. During his first academic year there, he served lunch once a week to visitors at a refugee center located in a Jesuit church. This year, like last year, he is part of a five-person team that serves as chaplains to the study abroad program of St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y. Before heading to Rome in 2023, Deacon Folan completed studies in philosophy and pre-theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange. Last summer, Deacon Lucas served at Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J. During his summer assignment, he led a few pastoral initiatives, including a book club and spiritual reflections. Father Cesar Jaramillo, the current pastor of the parish, concelebrated the ordination Mass of the deacon and the Mass of Thanksgiving, at which Deacon Lucas preached for the first time. On social media, Father Jaramillo called Deacon Lucas’ ordination “a joyful and momentous step on his journey to the priesthood.” The priest recalled his own ordination to the diaconate nine years ago under the dome of St. Peter’s. He said he was glad to represent Holy Spirit Parish and School, conveying the parishioners’ love and support for Deacon Lucas. “Deacon Lucas already has the heart of Christ the Servant, and through his preaching and service at the altar, he will continue to cultivate the virtues necessary for a fruitful ministry,” Father Jaramillo said. “Let us keep Deacon Lucas and his classmates in our prayers as they prepare for ordination to the priesthood, and let us continue to pray for more young men to answer the call to give their lives in service to Christ and to his Church.” Father Cesar Jaramillo contributed to this article. [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
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Seminarian a step from priesthood with Rome diaconal ordination #Catholic – Deacon Lucas Folan, a seminarian from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, studying in Rome, called his ordination to the diaconate on Oct. 2, alongside 15 other seminarians from the United States, a “gift of God’s love” that will help him “draw people to God.” Deacon Folan’s ordination as a temporary deacon, held at the Altar of St. Peter’s Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, marks his last step before being ordained to the diocesan priesthood next year. At 26, Deacon Folan, whose home parish is Notre Dame of Mount Carmel in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, was ordained by Bishop Joseph G. Hanefeldt of the Diocese of Grand Island, Neb. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese was one of the concelebrants, along with priests from the diocese. Additionally, he assisted in vesting Deacon Folan in his stole and dalmatic during the Rite of Ordination at the Mass, which was livestreamed on EWTN. Deacon Folan recently started his fourth year of theology studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Bishop Sweeney participated in his ordination as part of a diocesan pilgrimage he was leading to Assisi and Rome, from Sept. 26 to Oct. 4 in observance of the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025, which the Universal Church is celebrating. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. “I feel at peace. My ordination is a gift of God’s love. I am called to draw people to God. My duties as a deacon include preaching. However, my ordination is about transforming my soul so everything I do becomes a diaconal activity,” Deacon Folan said. “I’m happy that Bishop Sweeney was there to participate in the Mass and vest me.” Deacon Folan comes from an Irish-Hispanic family, and his fluent in Spanish. He has assisted with Spanish Masses at some parishes he served for summer assignments, including Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Boonton, N.J., and Our Lady of Victories/Our Lady of Lourdes in Paterson, N.J. His mother, Cristina Folan, is Colombian and serves as Notre Dame’s director of communications and evangelization. Cristina Folan, her husband, Ken, and their two other children, Mitchell and Teresa, were among the 1,200 friends and family members of the 16 deacons who attended the ordination Mass. On social media, Bishop Sweeney called Deacon Lucas’ ordination Mass in St. Peter’s a “beautiful and powerful, prayerful experience.” “God bless our diocesan seminarian, Deacon Lucas,” Bishop Sweeney said. The next day, Oct. 3, Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant of a Mass at St. Mary Major in Rome, where Deacon Lucas first preached as a deacon. On social media, the bishop posted, “He did a wonderful job.” Deacon Folan has been involved in service in the seminary in Rome. During his first academic year there, he served lunch once a week to visitors at a refugee center located in a Jesuit church. This year, like last year, he is part of a five-person team that serves as chaplains to the study abroad program of St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y. Before heading to Rome in 2023, Deacon Folan completed studies in philosophy and pre-theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange. Last summer, Deacon Lucas served at Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J. During his summer assignment, he led a few pastoral initiatives, including a book club and spiritual reflections. Father Cesar Jaramillo, the current pastor of the parish, concelebrated the ordination Mass of the deacon and the Mass of Thanksgiving, at which Deacon Lucas preached for the first time. On social media, Father Jaramillo called Deacon Lucas’ ordination “a joyful and momentous step on his journey to the priesthood.” The priest recalled his own ordination to the diaconate nine years ago under the dome of St. Peter’s. He said he was glad to represent Holy Spirit Parish and School, conveying the parishioners’ love and support for Deacon Lucas. “Deacon Lucas already has the heart of Christ the Servant, and through his preaching and service at the altar, he will continue to cultivate the virtues necessary for a fruitful ministry,” Father Jaramillo said. “Let us keep Deacon Lucas and his classmates in our prayers as they prepare for ordination to the priesthood, and let us continue to pray for more young men to answer the call to give their lives in service to Christ and to his Church.” Father Cesar Jaramillo contributed to this article. [See image gallery at beaconnj.org]

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Seminarian a step from priesthood with Rome diaconal ordination #Catholic –

Deacon Lucas Folan, a seminarian from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, studying in Rome, called his ordination to the diaconate on Oct. 2, alongside 15 other seminarians from the United States, a “gift of God’s love” that will help him “draw people to God.” Deacon Folan’s ordination as a temporary deacon, held at the Altar of St. Peter’s Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, marks his last step before being ordained to the diocesan priesthood next year.

At 26, Deacon Folan, whose home parish is Notre Dame of Mount Carmel in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, was ordained by Bishop Joseph G. Hanefeldt of the Diocese of Grand Island, Neb. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese was one of the concelebrants, along with priests from the diocese. Additionally, he assisted in vesting Deacon Folan in his stole and dalmatic during the Rite of Ordination at the Mass, which was livestreamed on EWTN.

Deacon Folan recently started his fourth year of theology studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Bishop Sweeney participated in his ordination as part of a diocesan pilgrimage he was leading to Assisi and Rome, from Sept. 26 to Oct. 4 in observance of the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025, which the Universal Church is celebrating.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

“I feel at peace. My ordination is a gift of God’s love. I am called to draw people to God. My duties as a deacon include preaching. However, my ordination is about transforming my soul so everything I do becomes a diaconal activity,” Deacon Folan said. “I’m happy that Bishop Sweeney was there to participate in the Mass and vest me.”

Deacon Folan comes from an Irish-Hispanic family, and his fluent in Spanish. He has assisted with Spanish Masses at some parishes he served for summer assignments, including Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Boonton, N.J., and Our Lady of Victories/Our Lady of Lourdes in Paterson, N.J. His mother, Cristina Folan, is Colombian and serves as Notre Dame’s director of communications and evangelization.

Cristina Folan, her husband, Ken, and their two other children, Mitchell and Teresa, were among the 1,200 friends and family members of the 16 deacons who attended the ordination Mass.

On social media, Bishop Sweeney called Deacon Lucas’ ordination Mass in St. Peter’s a “beautiful and powerful, prayerful experience.”

“God bless our diocesan seminarian, Deacon Lucas,” Bishop Sweeney said.

The next day, Oct. 3, Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant of a Mass at St. Mary Major in Rome, where Deacon Lucas first preached as a deacon. On social media, the bishop posted, “He did a wonderful job.”

Deacon Folan has been involved in service in the seminary in Rome. During his first academic year there, he served lunch once a week to visitors at a refugee center located in a Jesuit church. This year, like last year, he is part of a five-person team that serves as chaplains to the study abroad program of St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y.

Before heading to Rome in 2023, Deacon Folan completed studies in philosophy and pre-theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange.

Last summer, Deacon Lucas served at Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock, N.J. During his summer assignment, he led a few pastoral initiatives, including a book club and spiritual reflections.

Father Cesar Jaramillo, the current pastor of the parish, concelebrated the ordination Mass of the deacon and the Mass of Thanksgiving, at which Deacon Lucas preached for the first time.

On social media, Father Jaramillo called Deacon Lucas’ ordination “a joyful and momentous step on his journey to the priesthood.” The priest recalled his own ordination to the diaconate nine years ago under the dome of St. Peter’s. He said he was glad to represent Holy Spirit Parish and School, conveying the parishioners’ love and support for Deacon Lucas.

“Deacon Lucas already has the heart of Christ the Servant, and through his preaching and service at the altar, he will continue to cultivate the virtues necessary for a fruitful ministry,” Father Jaramillo said. “Let us keep Deacon Lucas and his classmates in our prayers as they prepare for ordination to the priesthood, and let us continue to pray for more young men to answer the call to give their lives in service to Christ and to his Church.”

Father Cesar Jaramillo contributed to this article.

[See image gallery at beaconnj.org] – Deacon Lucas Folan, a seminarian from the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, studying in Rome, called his ordination to the diaconate on Oct. 2, alongside 15 other seminarians from the United States, a “gift of God’s love” that will help him “draw people to God.” Deacon Folan’s ordination as a temporary deacon, held at the Altar of St. Peter’s Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, marks his last step before being ordained to the diocesan priesthood next year. At 26, Deacon Folan, whose home parish is Notre Dame of Mount Carmel in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township,

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Help prevent child sexual abuse as a facilitator #Catholic – The Office of Child and Youth Protection of the Paterson Diocese is looking for volunteer facilitators to conduct ongoing awareness sessions to help employees, volunteers, and parents of the diocese prevent child sexual abuse. The next six-hour facilitator training will be held on Friday, Nov. 14 starting at 9 a.m. at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. Using VIRTUS program materials provided by the diocese, facilitators show two 35-minute videos with information on child protection during each awareness session. Then, they help participants — faithful who work with or minister to children or vulnerable people — through a workbook on the subject. Facilitators also encourage discussion among the participants by reviewing materials and answering questions from a provided workbook. Participants learn about the context and reality of abuse, acquire tools to prevent it, and get inspired to become part of the solution. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sessions last three hours and are held in the facilitator’s parish, neighboring parish, or another location. Twenty to 60 people attend the sessions. The facilitator might spend additional time securing VIRTUS materials, setting up for the presentation, traveling to and from the location, and answering questions. “Facilitators help safeguard childhoods and create a better and safer world for children and the vulnerable,” said Eric Wilson, director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection, which he called a “vital ministry for our diocese to help create and maintain safe ministries and help people learn ways to advocate for and protect children, the vulnerable, and survivors.” A facilitator should have strong verbal and presentation skills. A facilitator should be engaging enough so that people feel they can speak freely, have patience for questions and concerns, have empathy for the participants and their issues, and be able to keep a steady, professional demeanor throughout the session. “We look for someone who can create a conversation with others and has a passion for protecting children,” Wilsusen said. A facilitator must know how to run a television, DVR, or laptop computer and how to use the Internet to access their continued training. They must understand and speak fluent English. A person who can speak other languages can also be an excellent facilitator. The number of sessions each facilitator will conduct each year depends on the number of facilitators and the number of participants in the diocese. For the first year, training to become a facilitator requires a day of training or about six hours. More preparation time is needed before his or her first session in addition to nine hours of continued training online annually. For more information or to volunteer to be a facilitator, call Eric Wilsusen at 973-777-8818 ext. 257 or email him at ewilsusen@patersondiocese.org  
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Help prevent child sexual abuse as a facilitator #Catholic – The Office of Child and Youth Protection of the Paterson Diocese is looking for volunteer facilitators to conduct ongoing awareness sessions to help employees, volunteers, and parents of the diocese prevent child sexual abuse. The next six-hour facilitator training will be held on Friday, Nov. 14 starting at 9 a.m. at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. Using VIRTUS program materials provided by the diocese, facilitators show two 35-minute videos with information on child protection during each awareness session. Then, they help participants — faithful who work with or minister to children or vulnerable people — through a workbook on the subject. Facilitators also encourage discussion among the participants by reviewing materials and answering questions from a provided workbook. Participants learn about the context and reality of abuse, acquire tools to prevent it, and get inspired to become part of the solution. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sessions last three hours and are held in the facilitator’s parish, neighboring parish, or another location. Twenty to 60 people attend the sessions. The facilitator might spend additional time securing VIRTUS materials, setting up for the presentation, traveling to and from the location, and answering questions. “Facilitators help safeguard childhoods and create a better and safer world for children and the vulnerable,” said Eric Wilson, director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection, which he called a “vital ministry for our diocese to help create and maintain safe ministries and help people learn ways to advocate for and protect children, the vulnerable, and survivors.” A facilitator should have strong verbal and presentation skills. A facilitator should be engaging enough so that people feel they can speak freely, have patience for questions and concerns, have empathy for the participants and their issues, and be able to keep a steady, professional demeanor throughout the session. “We look for someone who can create a conversation with others and has a passion for protecting children,” Wilsusen said. A facilitator must know how to run a television, DVR, or laptop computer and how to use the Internet to access their continued training. They must understand and speak fluent English. A person who can speak other languages can also be an excellent facilitator. The number of sessions each facilitator will conduct each year depends on the number of facilitators and the number of participants in the diocese. For the first year, training to become a facilitator requires a day of training or about six hours. More preparation time is needed before his or her first session in addition to nine hours of continued training online annually. For more information or to volunteer to be a facilitator, call Eric Wilsusen at 973-777-8818 ext. 257 or email him at ewilsusen@patersondiocese.org  

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Help prevent child sexual abuse as a facilitator #Catholic –

The Office of Child and Youth Protection of the Paterson Diocese is looking for volunteer facilitators to conduct ongoing awareness sessions to help employees, volunteers, and parents of the diocese prevent child sexual abuse. The next six-hour facilitator training will be held on Friday, Nov. 14 starting at 9 a.m. at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J.

Using VIRTUS program materials provided by the diocese, facilitators show two 35-minute videos with information on child protection during each awareness session. Then, they help participants — faithful who work with or minister to children or vulnerable people — through a workbook on the subject.

Facilitators also encourage discussion among the participants by reviewing materials and answering questions from a provided workbook. Participants learn about the context and reality of abuse, acquire tools to prevent it, and get inspired to become part of the solution.

Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Sessions last three hours and are held in the facilitator’s parish, neighboring parish, or another location. Twenty to 60 people attend the sessions. The facilitator might spend additional time securing VIRTUS materials, setting up for the presentation, traveling to and from the location, and answering questions.

“Facilitators help safeguard childhoods and create a better and safer world for children and the vulnerable,” said Eric Wilson, director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection, which he called a “vital ministry for our diocese to help create and maintain safe ministries and help people learn ways to advocate for and protect children, the vulnerable, and survivors.”

A facilitator should have strong verbal and presentation skills. A facilitator should be engaging enough so that people feel they can speak freely, have patience for questions and concerns, have empathy for the participants and their issues, and be able to keep a steady, professional demeanor throughout the session.

“We look for someone who can create a conversation with others and has a passion for protecting children,” Wilsusen said.

A facilitator must know how to run a television, DVR, or laptop computer and how to use the Internet to access their continued training. They must understand and speak fluent English. A person who can speak other languages can also be an excellent facilitator.

The number of sessions each facilitator will conduct each year depends on the number of facilitators and the number of participants in the diocese.

For the first year, training to become a facilitator requires a day of training or about six hours. More preparation time is needed before his or her first session in addition to nine hours of continued training online annually.

For more information or to volunteer to be a facilitator, call Eric Wilsusen at 973-777-8818 ext. 257 or email him at ewilsusen@patersondiocese.org

 

– The Office of Child and Youth Protection of the Paterson Diocese is looking for volunteer facilitators to conduct ongoing awareness sessions to help employees, volunteers, and parents of the diocese prevent child sexual abuse. The next six-hour facilitator training will be held on Friday, Nov. 14 starting at 9 a.m. at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. Using VIRTUS program materials provided by the diocese, facilitators show two 35-minute videos with information on child protection during each awareness session. Then, they help participants — faithful who work with or minister to children or vulnerable people — through a

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Cuba, land of faith: The missionary experience of Father Dailon
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Cuba, land of faith: The missionary experience of Father Dailon

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Cuba, land of faith: The missionary experience of Father Dailon – On September 8, 2024, the feast of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Father Dailon Lisabet began a mission in the Diocese of Holguín, Cuba. Exactly one year later, on September 8, 2025, he concluded that experience in his home parish, once again celebrating the feast of Cuba’s Patroness. “For me, it was a very clear sign that the Blessed Mother accompanied my steps from beginning to end,” he recalls with gratitude. Now back in the United States, Father Dailon serves at Our Lady of the Lakes Parish in Sparta and ministers to the Hispanic community at Our Lady

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40 years of banter: The secret ingredient of the Coffee with Kupke podcast
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40 years of banter: The secret ingredient of the Coffee with Kupke podcast

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40 years of banter: The secret ingredient of the Coffee with Kupke podcast – When it comes to the Coffee with Kupke podcast, Msgr. Raymond Kupke might get all the glory. His name is in the title after all. And he’s the one giving away encyclopedic anecdotes like Halloween candy. But if it weren’t for his co-host and good friend Father Paul Manning, the podcast wouldn’t quite be the same. The magic of their life-long friendship was on full display Wednesday, Sept. 24, during a special live recording of Coffee with Kupke at the St. Paul Inside the Walls evangelization center in Madison. Father Manning and Msgr. Kupke fed off the energy of an

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Father Davey at 100: ‘I’m successful because of prayer’
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Father Davey at 100: ‘I’m successful because of prayer’

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Father Davey at 100: ‘I’m successful because of prayer’ – Father Edward M. Davey attributes two essential habits to his miraculously long life as he blows out candles for his 100th birthday today, Oct. 4. A retired priest of the Diocese of Paterson in New Jersey, Father Davey doesn’t think it has to do with his diet, family history, or the exercise he did as a younger man. Instead, he credits his longevity to the daytime naps he takes and a practice that has sustained him throughout his priesthood: constant prayer. “Prayer is the answer to most people’s problems. I’m successful because of prayer,” said Father Davey, a priest for

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Oct. 4th, 1957: Sputnik launches

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On Oct. 4th, 1957, at 10:29 PM Moscow time, the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik 1 into space on a repurposed R-7 rocket. The world’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik was about 22 inches (58 centimeters) in diameter and weighed 184 pounds (84 kilograms). Although there were no scientific instruments aboard, the transmitter it carried sentContinue reading “Oct. 4th, 1957: Sputnik launches”

The post Oct. 4th, 1957: Sputnik launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Salesian centenarian stays active one step at a time
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Salesian centenarian stays active one step at a time – Turning 100 years old today, Oct. 4, Salesian Sister Domenica Di Peri jokes that her biggest worry at her age is that she will quickly wear out her shoes — and the floors of the convent where she lives in Paterson, N.J. That’s because Sister Domenica spends much of her busy days strolling the halls of the three-story convent with the aid of a walker, stopping to chat along the way with fellow Salesian Sisters in residence. In part, the Paterson-born centenarian credits her miraculous longevity to being active and social, as well as inheriting “good genes” from her family.

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Bishop Sweeney’s dispatches from Italy (Part 2)
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Bishop Sweeney’s dispatches from Italy (Part 2) – Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney is continuing his pilgrimage with a group of faithful, including priests and laity of the Diocese of Paterson, to mark the Jubilee Year of Hope in Rome, Italy. The diocesan pilgrims visited Assisi, Italy, where they paid homage to the tomb of the newly canonized saint, St. Carlo Acutis, and walked through the hometown of St. Francis and St. Clare. Then in Rome, they journeyed to St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Mary Major, St. Peter’s Square, the Sistine Chapel and other holy sites.  Seminarian Lucas Folan was ordained a deacon in St. Peter’s Basilica.  Bishop Sweeney shared

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Celebrating 75 years, Chester parish continues welcoming Hispanic community
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Celebrating 75 years, Chester parish continues welcoming Hispanic community

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Celebrating 75 years, Chester parish continues welcoming Hispanic community – Hispanic Catholics have found a spiritual home at St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish in Chester, N.J., which, in recent years, has welcomed local Spanish speakers with the loving arms of Christ. Having just closed its 75th anniversary celebrations, St. Lawrence has helped area Hispanics create a Spanish-speaking faith community and encouraged them to become more incorporated into the entire parish. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney visited St. Lawrence on Sept. 20 and celebrated a Mass with the 1,100-family parish to help conclude its anniversary observances. For the Hispanic community, St. Lawrence offers a Spanish Mass on Sundays at 12:30 p.m., a

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Benedictines of Morristown celebrate a century of faith, service
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Benedictines of Morristown celebrate a century of faith, service – With great joy, the Benedictine monks of St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, N.J., marked their resilient community’s 100 years of strong faith, unceasing communal prayer and worship, and devoted service to the local Church on Sept. 21. They held a solemn vespers service in the abbey church on their palatial campus. The abbey’s 15 monks — both priests and brothers — also celebrated their community’s dedication to education as the founder of the Delbarton School for young men from grades 7 to 12, which opened there in 1939. Joining the monks and their abbot, Jonathan Licari, for the service were

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Sept. 28, 1969: The Murchison Meteorite explodes over Australia

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At 10:58 AM on Sept. 28, 1969, residents of the small farming community of Murchison, Victoria, in Australia, heard a series of loud booms. The noise was accompanied by a strong smell and a streak of smoke in the sky. A carbonaceous chondite meteorite, the Murchison Meteorite broke up as it entered the atmosphere, andContinue reading “Sept. 28, 1969: The Murchison Meteorite explodes over Australia”

The post Sept. 28, 1969: The Murchison Meteorite explodes over Australia appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Join Bishop Sweeney on a (virtual) spiritual journey through Assisi and Rome
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Join Bishop Sweeney on a (virtual) spiritual journey through Assisi and Rome – Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, along with a group of pilgrims from the Diocese of Paterson, is currently in Italy visiting sacred sites in Assisi and Rome as part of the 2025 Jubilee Year celebration. Over the course of nine days, the group will walk in the footsteps of saints, celebrate Mass in historic churches, and reflect on the spiritual significance of this Holy Year. While the pilgrimage is taking place thousands of miles away, you’re invited to be part of the journey—virtually. Bishop Sweeney and some of those traveling with him are sharing photos and moments from the trip, and

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Born Sept. 27, 1918, and educated at Bradfield College and Oxford University in the U.K., Martin Ryle would go on to be the first astronomer royal (1972-1982) with a background in radio astronomy. During World War II, Ryle worked in radio systems and countermeasures for the RAF. He was strongly antiwar, though, and had noContinue reading “Sept. 27, 1918: The birth of Martin Ryle”

The post Sept. 27, 1918: The birth of Martin Ryle appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Two Filipino saints, martyred for their faith, honored at Mass
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Two Filipino saints, martyred for their faith, honored at Mass

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Two Filipino saints, martyred for their faith, honored at Mass – Filipinos from around the Diocese of Paterson on Sept. 20 gathered in St. Philip the Apostle Church in Clifton, N.J., to honor two martyrs from the Philippines — St. Lorenzo Ruiz and St. Pedro Calungsod — during the annual diocesan Filipino Martyr Mass. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the principal celebrant of the liturgy, which was coordinated by the Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM). Several diocesan priests, including several born in the Philippines, concelebrated the Mass. Among them was Father Vidal Gonzales, pastor of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township,

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Second statewide Mass for Life draws hundreds to Trenton Cathedral
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Second statewide Mass for Life draws hundreds to Trenton Cathedral – On Sept. 25, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Diocese of Paterson urged all participating pro-life advocates before the start of the second annual N.J. Rally and March for Life in Trenton to lead with love when witnessing to the dignity of every human life — not judgement. Before the N.J. Rally for Life began, Bishop Sweeney served as the homilist that morning during the second annual N.J. Mass for Life in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral in Trenton, the New Jersey State capital. Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., of the Trenton Diocese, celebrated the Mass. The hundreds of

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On some clear, moonless night this fall, head out and locate the constellation Vulpecula the Fox. It’s not the easiest star pattern to identify, but two much more apparent constellations will help you get into the right area. Vulpecula lies south of Cygnus and north of Aquila. And while you might be thinking, ah, he’sContinue reading “Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Coathanger”

The post Michael’s Miscellany: Observe the Coathanger appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.

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Paterson cathedral welcomes Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma
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Paterson cathedral welcomes Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma

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Paterson cathedral welcomes Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma – The fifth- to eighth-grade girls are intrigued by the striking simplicity of Sister Mary Mia Menke’s floor-length habit and black veil. These junior high girls, who attend the Compostela after-school program at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., also enjoy asking her probing questions, such as “How did you know you wanted to be a religious sister?” The students’ questions are part of the efforts of the entire St. John’s community to get acquainted with — and welcome — Sister Menke and three of her fellow Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., who arrived in

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