Make sure to set your alarm clock early on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 6, so that you won’t miss a rare and spectacular celestial event. The brilliant planet Jupiter and its retinue of Galilean satellites will pass behind the waning Moon, a 20%-illuminated crescent just 4¼ days before New. Astronomers call this phenomenon anContinue reading “See the Moon occult Jupiter October 6”
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Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen declared ‘Blessed’ at beatification Mass in St. Louis #Catholic – 
ST. LOUIS (OSV News) — Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen — the 20th-century theologian, evangelizer, Catholic communications pioneer, teacher and preacher — is now Blessed Fulton J. Sheen.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a pro-prefect for the Holy See’s Dicastery for Evangelization and papal delegate, pronounced the Church’s declaration on Archbishop Sheen’s holiness of life and witness to Jesus Christ at a Sept. 24 Mass celebrated in The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis.
To the applause of pilgrims, Cardinal Tagle described Archbishop Sheen as a “son of Illinois, son of the United States of America” and “indeed, son of the world.”
Hundreds of clergy, including dozens of bishops and cardinals, had processed into the arena for the Mass as choirs, accompanied by an orchestra, performed a succession of hymns. The priests’ vestments were embroidered with “JMJ,” Archbishop Sheen’s signature dedication to Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
The location had been selected by Archbishop Sheen’s home Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, to accommodate the number of pilgrims who arrived for the beatification and its surrounding events. Around 50,000 people were in attendance, according to organizers.
During a press conference a few hours prior to the Mass, Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria said that almost every U.S. state and several additional nations were represented by pilgrims. A number of the faithful hailed from Italy, Poland and Brazil, he said.
Close to 90 bishops, some 1,000 priests, an estimated 1,600 men and women religious, and almost 250 deacons were present, added Bishop Tylka, who wore Archbishop Sheen’s pectoral cross. Among the concelebrating prelates was Archbishop Gabriele G. Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The beatification — a papal act affirming an individual’s presence in heaven is worthy of belief — officially occurred between the liturgy’s Penitential Rite and the Gloria. Bishop Tylka made a formal request for Archbishop Sheen’s beatification to Cardinal Tagle.
A short biography of Archbishop Sheen, who was born in El Paso, Illinois, in 1895 and died in New York in 1979, was read by Archbishop Sheen’s great-nephew, Paul Cunningham, after which Cardinal Tagle proclaimed the apostolic letter from Pope Leo XIV declaring the beatification in Latin. Bishop Tylka then read the letter in English, as applause followed both.
With the papal decree’s public proclamation, Archbishop Sheen became formally counted among the Church’s “beati,” from the Latin word for “blessed.”
James Fulton Engstrom — whose revival from stillbirth in 2010, attributed to Archbishop Sheen’s intercession, was formally declared the miracle that moved Archbishop Sheen to beatification — processed with his parents and siblings to present a major relic of Archbishop Sheen during the liturgy.
Enclosed in a special case called a reliquary, the relic is Archbishop Sheen’s mandible, or jawbone, chosen because it represents the archbishop’s tremendous gifts as an orator, teacher and evangelist.
As part of the beatification, a portrait of a haloed Blessed Fulton Sheen was also unveiled. In the image, he is notably holding a piece of chalk, which he famously used — along with a blackboard — during his Emmy-winning television show, “Life Is Worth Living.”
The image was also simultaneously unveiled in the Diocese of Peoria at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.
The first reading from the beatification Mass, Isaiah 52:7-10, was delivered in Spanish, with the second reading, 2 Corinthians 4:1-2, 5-7, proclaimed in Portuguese, while the Gospel taken from Mark 16:15-20 was proclaimed in English. The prayers of the faithful were offered in a variety of other languages, illustrating both the universal character of the Church and also the missionary mindset of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen, who served as the U.S. director for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
In his homily, Cardinal Tagle praised Archbishop Sheen as a “storyteller of Jesus” and “a “missionary who digs deep into the heart of the poor to meet Jesus there.”
The cardinal noted then-Bishop Sheen’s passionate advocacy for the poor during the Second Vatican Council. During the 1964 discussions on the document “Ad Gentes,” on the missionary activity of the Church, then-Bishop Sheen asked his brother bishops to “affirm” the notion of poverty and the bishops who came from poor and suffering parts of the Church.
“As only a wounded Christ could convert a doubting Thomas, so only a Church wounded by poverty can convert a doubting world,” he said.
Cardinal Tagle commended Archbishop Sheen for making genuine connections with the people he met and to whom he preached and ministered.
“The missionary evangelizer is blessed by the communion with persons and peoples, especially the poor and vulnerable, and this is communion in the name of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Cardinal Tagle shared how Archbishop Sheen told a friend, who asked why he became a priest, that he was called to share the Gospel and tell the story of Jesus.
“I never tire of telling it; I never tire of improving my telling of it. I love my calling,” Archbishop Sheen said, as Cardinal Tagle recounted.
In remarks after Communion, Bishop Tylka urged all attendees to pray for Archbishop Sheen’s canonization, leading them together in a prayer for that intention.
“It is God who has given the Church the extraordinary witness of the man we may now call Blessed Fulton J. Sheen,” he said.
Thanking the many prelates involved in the Mass, including Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, whose archdiocese hosted the beatification, and representatives from the Archdiocese of New York, Diocese of Rochester and the Pontifical Mission Societies, Bishop Tylka noted, “Your presence today is a beautiful reminder that while Peoria is incredibly proud to call Fulton Sheen one of our own, he is a gift to the whole Church.”
Bishop Tylka also expressed his gratitude to Archbishop Sheen’s family, individuals and benefactors involved in preparations and liturgy, and the faithful who made the pilgrimage to attend the beatification.
“Fulton Sheen has left us a great legacy,” he said. “He fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel in challenging cultural times. He supported the Church’s missions throughout the world. He won tens of thousands of converts and preached to millions. His time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament was the source of his insight into the Son of God. He used every gift God gave him for one purpose: to bring people to Christ. And his legacy is now ours.”
Following the Mass, attendees were invited to remain in prayer to venerate Archbishop Sheen’s relics.
Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina. Maria Wiering, senior managing editor of OSV News, contributed to this article.
– ST. LOUIS (OSV News) — Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen — the 20th-century theologian, evangelizer, Catholic communications pioneer, teacher and preacher — is now Blessed Fulton J. Sheen. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, a pro-prefect for the Holy See’s Dicastery for Evangelization and papal delegate, pronounced the Church’s declaration on Archbishop Sheen’s holiness of life and witness to Jesus Christ at a Sept. 24 Mass celebrated in The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. To the applause of pilgrims, Cardinal Tagle described Archbishop Sheen as a “son of Illinois, son of the United States of America” and “indeed, son of the
![New pastor unites Paterson parish during historic merger #Catholic – Two Catholic churches in the Stoney Road section of Paterson and Woodland Park, N.J., became one parish on Divine Mercy Sunday this year, on April 12, when Our Lady of Pompei (OLP) and St. Bonaventure parishes were merged into the newly formed Padre Pio Parish.
Father Manuel Cuellar, Padre Pio’s pastor since that day, knew that bringing distinct, bilingual parish communities into one cohesive Catholic parish wouldn’t happen immediately.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney officially installed Father Cuellar as pastor of Padre Pio on Sept. 12. The new pastor used the last few months to weave the parish communities into a tapestry of God’s presence among the faithful. Padre Pio has been providing three Masses at each of the parish’s two churches, while also helping connect each former parish into the shared ministries of the singular Padre Pio Parish.
“We are one now,” Father Cuellar said. “Instead of two or four, we are one.”
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
The newly formed parish is officially named for St. Pio of Pietrelcina, also known as “Padre Pio. With the merger streamlining the administration of St. Bonaventure’s and OLP parishes, each with its own histories and traditions, both churches have remained open with adjusted Mass schedules to ensure the parish continues to meet people’s spiritual and pastoral needs.
During this merger, Father Cuellar has encountered people who often want to hold onto their traditions. Yet he sees the steps his parishioners have taken to embrace each other and unify.
“People were attached to their own buildings. People were attached to their own cultures. They wanted the same Mass times at the beginning. Now, I think they understand it in a better way.” Father Cuellar said. “Instead of two different communities, I see one now trying to be together, trying to celebrate together, trying to get to know each other,” he said.
Father Cuellar’s installation Mass provided an impactful example of how two parishes with a combined 260 years of distinct traditions have become one.
The installation Mass for Father Cuellar was held at the St. Bonaventure Church site and celebrated in English and Spanish. The liturgy utilized two different sets of lectors and music ministries working together to create one unified faith experience.
“It was such a beautiful Mass. You really felt the love,” said Raysa Gonzalez, a parishioner who came from OLP and assists with Mass planning and the team of lectors.
Gonzalez added, “We had goosebumps because the music is a combination of the Spanish and the English. I had people from the English Mass that do not speak any Spanish come up to me and tell me that even though they didn’t obviously understand the words in the readings that I was saying because it was in a different language that they don’t speak, they were able to feel the readings.”
Father Cuellar says the installation Mass also connected people whose exposure to fellow parishioners usually comes only from attending the same liturgy every week, which doesn’t normally increase the chance of meeting other church members.
“If they come to the 10 a.m. Mass, they know the people there, but they don’t know the other people from the 7.30 a.m. Mass, from the noon Mass or the 5.30 Mass on Sunday,” he said. “But now this event helped everybody to be together,” he said.
A Colombian-born, bilingual priest, Father Cuellar has especially helped bridge the gap between the English- and Spanish-speaking members of the combined parish. As parochial vicar at OLP in 2024, he helped establish a Spanish-speaking Mass, which St. Bonaventure already had for about 10 years.
Father Cuellar has also helped combine ministries across parishes and languages, often turning important Masses involving the sacraments of initiation into bilingual experiences that touch every parishioner’s faith journey.
“We had a lot of kids do their first Holy Communion. Some of them even got baptized, and it was a mix because it was in Spanish and English,” Gonzalez said.
Father Cuellar has also encouraged members of both parishes, representing both languages, to come together in ministries like the lectoring. Gonzalez has joined a bilingual Liturgy Committee from both former church communities that is helping shape people’s experiences of faith in both languages.
“A parish becomes truly alive when its members recognize that each of us has a unique role to play in the mission of the Church,” Father Cuellar wrote in a bulletin announcement about forming the Liturgy Committee.
He has also used a pilgrimage and mission to help earthquake victims in his native Colombia as a chance to unite the parish. They raised more than ,600, which helped empower those in need during the trip he and 22 others took in early September.
While Father Cuellar credits the countless parishioners who have embraced two parishes becoming one, those parishioners feel the newly installed pastor has been the main force that God has used to connect these parishes as one body of Christ.
“Father Manuel has such a blessing to guide us through the change, through the combination, through the different languages of the different communities and putting it together,” Gonzalez said. “Father Manuel has a good balance in respecting everyone’s ways in a way that no one feels excluded. It makes you really want to be part of this parish, this community,” she said.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/new-pastor-unites-paterson-parish-during-historic-merger-catholic-two-catholic-churches-in-the-stoney-road-section-of-paterson-and-woodland-park-n-j-became-one-parish-on-divine-mercy-sunday-this.jpg "New pastor unites Paterson parish during historic merger #Catholic – Two Catholic churches in the Stoney Road section of Paterson and Woodland Park, N.J., became one parish on Divine Mercy Sunday this year, on April 12, when Our Lady of Pompei (OLP) and St. Bonaventure parishes were merged into the newly formed Padre Pio Parish.
Father Manuel Cuellar, Padre Pio’s pastor since that day, knew that bringing distinct, bilingual parish communities into one cohesive Catholic parish wouldn’t happen immediately.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney officially installed Father Cuellar as pastor of Padre Pio on Sept. 12. The new pastor used the last few months to weave the parish communities into a tapestry of God’s presence among the faithful. Padre Pio has been providing three Masses at each of the parish’s two churches, while also helping connect each former parish into the shared ministries of the singular Padre Pio Parish.
“We are one now,” Father Cuellar said. “Instead of two or four, we are one.”
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
The newly formed parish is officially named for St. Pio of Pietrelcina, also known as “Padre Pio. With the merger streamlining the administration of St. Bonaventure’s and OLP parishes, each with its own histories and traditions, both churches have remained open with adjusted Mass schedules to ensure the parish continues to meet people’s spiritual and pastoral needs.
During this merger, Father Cuellar has encountered people who often want to hold onto their traditions. Yet he sees the steps his parishioners have taken to embrace each other and unify.
“People were attached to their own buildings. People were attached to their own cultures. They wanted the same Mass times at the beginning. Now, I think they understand it in a better way.” Father Cuellar said. “Instead of two different communities, I see one now trying to be together, trying to celebrate together, trying to get to know each other,” he said.
Father Cuellar’s installation Mass provided an impactful example of how two parishes with a combined 260 years of distinct traditions have become one.
The installation Mass for Father Cuellar was held at the St. Bonaventure Church site and celebrated in English and Spanish. The liturgy utilized two different sets of lectors and music ministries working together to create one unified faith experience.
“It was such a beautiful Mass. You really felt the love,” said Raysa Gonzalez, a parishioner who came from OLP and assists with Mass planning and the team of lectors.
Gonzalez added, “We had goosebumps because the music is a combination of the Spanish and the English. I had people from the English Mass that do not speak any Spanish come up to me and tell me that even though they didn’t obviously understand the words in the readings that I was saying because it was in a different language that they don’t speak, they were able to feel the readings.”
Father Cuellar says the installation Mass also connected people whose exposure to fellow parishioners usually comes only from attending the same liturgy every week, which doesn’t normally increase the chance of meeting other church members.
“If they come to the 10 a.m. Mass, they know the people there, but they don’t know the other people from the 7.30 a.m. Mass, from the noon Mass or the 5.30 Mass on Sunday,” he said. “But now this event helped everybody to be together,” he said.
A Colombian-born, bilingual priest, Father Cuellar has especially helped bridge the gap between the English- and Spanish-speaking members of the combined parish. As parochial vicar at OLP in 2024, he helped establish a Spanish-speaking Mass, which St. Bonaventure already had for about 10 years.
Father Cuellar has also helped combine ministries across parishes and languages, often turning important Masses involving the sacraments of initiation into bilingual experiences that touch every parishioner’s faith journey.
“We had a lot of kids do their first Holy Communion. Some of them even got baptized, and it was a mix because it was in Spanish and English,” Gonzalez said.
Father Cuellar has also encouraged members of both parishes, representing both languages, to come together in ministries like the lectoring. Gonzalez has joined a bilingual Liturgy Committee from both former church communities that is helping shape people’s experiences of faith in both languages.
“A parish becomes truly alive when its members recognize that each of us has a unique role to play in the mission of the Church,” Father Cuellar wrote in a bulletin announcement about forming the Liturgy Committee.
He has also used a pilgrimage and mission to help earthquake victims in his native Colombia as a chance to unite the parish. They raised more than ,600, which helped empower those in need during the trip he and 22 others took in early September.
While Father Cuellar credits the countless parishioners who have embraced two parishes becoming one, those parishioners feel the newly installed pastor has been the main force that God has used to connect these parishes as one body of Christ.
“Father Manuel has such a blessing to guide us through the change, through the combination, through the different languages of the different communities and putting it together,” Gonzalez said. “Father Manuel has a good balance in respecting everyone’s ways in a way that no one feels excluded. It makes you really want to be part of this parish, this community,” she said.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]")
New pastor unites Paterson parish during historic merger #Catholic – 
Two Catholic churches in the Stoney Road section of Paterson and Woodland Park, N.J., became one parish on Divine Mercy Sunday this year, on April 12, when Our Lady of Pompei (OLP) and St. Bonaventure parishes were merged into the newly formed Padre Pio Parish.
Father Manuel Cuellar, Padre Pio’s pastor since that day, knew that bringing distinct, bilingual parish communities into one cohesive Catholic parish wouldn’t happen immediately.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney officially installed Father Cuellar as pastor of Padre Pio on Sept. 12. The new pastor used the last few months to weave the parish communities into a tapestry of God’s presence among the faithful. Padre Pio has been providing three Masses at each of the parish’s two churches, while also helping connect each former parish into the shared ministries of the singular Padre Pio Parish.
“We are one now,” Father Cuellar said. “Instead of two or four, we are one.”
The newly formed parish is officially named for St. Pio of Pietrelcina, also known as “Padre Pio. With the merger streamlining the administration of St. Bonaventure’s and OLP parishes, each with its own histories and traditions, both churches have remained open with adjusted Mass schedules to ensure the parish continues to meet people’s spiritual and pastoral needs.
During this merger, Father Cuellar has encountered people who often want to hold onto their traditions. Yet he sees the steps his parishioners have taken to embrace each other and unify.
“People were attached to their own buildings. People were attached to their own cultures. They wanted the same Mass times at the beginning. Now, I think they understand it in a better way.” Father Cuellar said. “Instead of two different communities, I see one now trying to be together, trying to celebrate together, trying to get to know each other,” he said.
Father Cuellar’s installation Mass provided an impactful example of how two parishes with a combined 260 years of distinct traditions have become one.
The installation Mass for Father Cuellar was held at the St. Bonaventure Church site and celebrated in English and Spanish. The liturgy utilized two different sets of lectors and music ministries working together to create one unified faith experience.
“It was such a beautiful Mass. You really felt the love,” said Raysa Gonzalez, a parishioner who came from OLP and assists with Mass planning and the team of lectors.
Gonzalez added, “We had goosebumps because the music is a combination of the Spanish and the English. I had people from the English Mass that do not speak any Spanish come up to me and tell me that even though they didn’t obviously understand the words in the readings that I was saying because it was in a different language that they don’t speak, they were able to feel the readings.”
Father Cuellar says the installation Mass also connected people whose exposure to fellow parishioners usually comes only from attending the same liturgy every week, which doesn’t normally increase the chance of meeting other church members.
“If they come to the 10 a.m. Mass, they know the people there, but they don’t know the other people from the 7.30 a.m. Mass, from the noon Mass or the 5.30 Mass on Sunday,” he said. “But now this event helped everybody to be together,” he said.
A Colombian-born, bilingual priest, Father Cuellar has especially helped bridge the gap between the English- and Spanish-speaking members of the combined parish. As parochial vicar at OLP in 2024, he helped establish a Spanish-speaking Mass, which St. Bonaventure already had for about 10 years.
Father Cuellar has also helped combine ministries across parishes and languages, often turning important Masses involving the sacraments of initiation into bilingual experiences that touch every parishioner’s faith journey.
“We had a lot of kids do their first Holy Communion. Some of them even got baptized, and it was a mix because it was in Spanish and English,” Gonzalez said.
Father Cuellar has also encouraged members of both parishes, representing both languages, to come together in ministries like the lectoring. Gonzalez has joined a bilingual Liturgy Committee from both former church communities that is helping shape people’s experiences of faith in both languages.
“A parish becomes truly alive when its members recognize that each of us has a unique role to play in the mission of the Church,” Father Cuellar wrote in a bulletin announcement about forming the Liturgy Committee.
He has also used a pilgrimage and mission to help earthquake victims in his native Colombia as a chance to unite the parish. They raised more than $3,600, which helped empower those in need during the trip he and 22 others took in early September.
While Father Cuellar credits the countless parishioners who have embraced two parishes becoming one, those parishioners feel the newly installed pastor has been the main force that God has used to connect these parishes as one body of Christ.
“Father Manuel has such a blessing to guide us through the change, through the combination, through the different languages of the different communities and putting it together,” Gonzalez said. “Father Manuel has a good balance in respecting everyone’s ways in a way that no one feels excluded. It makes you really want to be part of this parish, this community,” she said.
– Two Catholic churches in the Stoney Road section of Paterson and Woodland Park, N.J., became one parish on Divine Mercy Sunday this year, on April 12, when Our Lady of Pompei (OLP) and St. Bonaventure parishes were merged into the newly formed Padre Pio Parish. Father Manuel Cuellar, Padre Pio’s pastor since that day, knew that bringing distinct, bilingual parish communities into one cohesive Catholic parish wouldn’t happen immediately. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney officially installed Father Cuellar as pastor of Padre Pio on Sept. 12. The new pastor used the last few months to weave the parish communities into a
![Venerable Fulton Sheen’s powerful messages still resonate with audiences #Catholic – If he were alive today, Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen might be lighting up social media — like TikTok, Facebook, and X — with his simple, engaging lessons and stories about how to live a fulfilling life in Christ.
Matthew E. Bunson, vice president and editorial director of EWTNNews, said that Venerable Sheen, one of the 20th Century’s most influential Catholic evangelists, would already have attracted “millions of followers” on digital platforms by now. On the night of Sept. 16, Bunson made that assertion during his talk, “The Life and Beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen,” at St. Thomas More Church in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township, N.J.
The well-attended presentation in Morris County occurred less than a week before Venerable Sheen is beatified this Thursday, Sept. 24, at a Mass at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Mo. At that time, he will be designated as “blessed.” During his life, the nationally known TV and radio evangelist, author, and speaker traveled from his New York City residence to the Paterson Diocese, N.J., many times to give presentations and visit family and friends.
Fulton J. Sheen’s family overjoyed about his beatification
Long before digital media, Venerable Sheen transformed religious communications. Starting in the 1930s, he rose to fame, touching the lives of millions with the Catholic Hour radio show and, even more lives in the 1950s, with his popular TV program, Life is Worth Living. He also authored 73 books and countless pamphlets and essays explaining how the tenets of the Catholic faith enrich lives.
“The archbishop’s magnetic personality and presentations quickly drew an estimated 30 million viewers each week [to the TV show]. Jews, Protestants, Catholics and skeptics tuned in, quickly making him a household name,” Bunson said. The archbishop often beat his TV competitors on Sunday nights using little more than his engaging presentation, direct and into the camera, a corny joke, and writings on a chalkboard, he said. “It shows us [Catholic evangelizers] how to speak truth with clarity and charity. He possessed a variability to explain profound truths in language ordinary people could understand,” Bunson said.
Even today, Venerable Sheen reminds Catholics that no matter their walk of life, they are all called to be evangelists of the Gospel and to become saints, said Bunson, also a prominent Catholic historian, author, and theologian. In the modern age, Venerable Sheen has cultivated a huge following among Gen Z, he said.
Venerable Sheen’s “dramatic gestures or actual illustrations, and stories, were not entertainment for their own sake.” Instead, they were tools placed in the service of God’s truth, not to make himself famous. In accepting his Emmy award in 1952, he quipped, “I feel it is time I pay tribute to my four writers — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,” Bunson said.
“The archbishop understood that people are not searching for theories. They’re searching for meaning, forgiveness, truth, love, mercy, and hope. Christianity answers that search to a person,” said Bunson, adding Venerable Sheen spoke about the beauty of life and faith as well as the demands of the Gospel. “He challenged people to examine their consciousness and warned against materialism, pride, sexual immorality, indifference, resentment, and worship of social. The archbishop reminded his listeners that a person can gain the whole world and still lose their soul,” he said.
Venerable Sheen also staunchly promoted the pro-life cause long before legalized abortion and was a prophet of the Eucharistic revival. He also taught at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., was national director of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, and served as bishop of Rochester, N.Y. He died in 1979 at 84.
The New Jersey Area Order of Malta, a lay religious order of the Church that seeks to glorify God through work with the sick and the poor and witness of the Catholic faith, sponsored the presentation. Christine Myers of the Order of Malta served as master of ceremonies. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and members of Venerable Sheen’s family attended.
After Bunson’s talk, the bishop told the crowd, “Thank God for Archbishop Sheen’s ministry, and we look forward to his beatification next Thursday.”
In his presentation, Bunson said, “The archbishop reminds us that the salvation of souls must remain our priority. Evangelization, however, can also take place through a microphone, television camera, classroom, a newspaper, conversation, in an ordinary home, or anyone who lives,” Bunson said.
BEACON PHOTOS | MATTHEW GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/venerable-fulton-sheens-powerful-messages-still-resonate-with-audiences-catholic-if-he-were-alive-today-venerable-archbishop-fulton-j-sheen-might-be-lighting-up-social-media-li.jpg "Venerable Fulton Sheen’s powerful messages still resonate with audiences #Catholic – If he were alive today, Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen might be lighting up social media — like TikTok, Facebook, and X — with his simple, engaging lessons and stories about how to live a fulfilling life in Christ.
Matthew E. Bunson, vice president and editorial director of EWTNNews, said that Venerable Sheen, one of the 20th Century’s most influential Catholic evangelists, would already have attracted “millions of followers” on digital platforms by now. On the night of Sept. 16, Bunson made that assertion during his talk, “The Life and Beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen,” at St. Thomas More Church in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township, N.J.
The well-attended presentation in Morris County occurred less than a week before Venerable Sheen is beatified this Thursday, Sept. 24, at a Mass at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Mo. At that time, he will be designated as “blessed.” During his life, the nationally known TV and radio evangelist, author, and speaker traveled from his New York City residence to the Paterson Diocese, N.J., many times to give presentations and visit family and friends.
Fulton J. Sheen’s family overjoyed about his beatification
Long before digital media, Venerable Sheen transformed religious communications. Starting in the 1930s, he rose to fame, touching the lives of millions with the Catholic Hour radio show and, even more lives in the 1950s, with his popular TV program, Life is Worth Living. He also authored 73 books and countless pamphlets and essays explaining how the tenets of the Catholic faith enrich lives.
“The archbishop’s magnetic personality and presentations quickly drew an estimated 30 million viewers each week [to the TV show]. Jews, Protestants, Catholics and skeptics tuned in, quickly making him a household name,” Bunson said. The archbishop often beat his TV competitors on Sunday nights using little more than his engaging presentation, direct and into the camera, a corny joke, and writings on a chalkboard, he said. “It shows us [Catholic evangelizers] how to speak truth with clarity and charity. He possessed a variability to explain profound truths in language ordinary people could understand,” Bunson said.
Even today, Venerable Sheen reminds Catholics that no matter their walk of life, they are all called to be evangelists of the Gospel and to become saints, said Bunson, also a prominent Catholic historian, author, and theologian. In the modern age, Venerable Sheen has cultivated a huge following among Gen Z, he said.
Venerable Sheen’s “dramatic gestures or actual illustrations, and stories, were not entertainment for their own sake.” Instead, they were tools placed in the service of God’s truth, not to make himself famous. In accepting his Emmy award in 1952, he quipped, “I feel it is time I pay tribute to my four writers — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,” Bunson said.
“The archbishop understood that people are not searching for theories. They’re searching for meaning, forgiveness, truth, love, mercy, and hope. Christianity answers that search to a person,” said Bunson, adding Venerable Sheen spoke about the beauty of life and faith as well as the demands of the Gospel. “He challenged people to examine their consciousness and warned against materialism, pride, sexual immorality, indifference, resentment, and worship of social. The archbishop reminded his listeners that a person can gain the whole world and still lose their soul,” he said.
Venerable Sheen also staunchly promoted the pro-life cause long before legalized abortion and was a prophet of the Eucharistic revival. He also taught at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., was national director of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, and served as bishop of Rochester, N.Y. He died in 1979 at 84.
The New Jersey Area Order of Malta, a lay religious order of the Church that seeks to glorify God through work with the sick and the poor and witness of the Catholic faith, sponsored the presentation. Christine Myers of the Order of Malta served as master of ceremonies. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and members of Venerable Sheen’s family attended.
After Bunson’s talk, the bishop told the crowd, “Thank God for Archbishop Sheen’s ministry, and we look forward to his beatification next Thursday.”
In his presentation, Bunson said, “The archbishop reminds us that the salvation of souls must remain our priority. Evangelization, however, can also take place through a microphone, television camera, classroom, a newspaper, conversation, in an ordinary home, or anyone who lives,” Bunson said.
BEACON PHOTOS | MATTHEW GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.")
Venerable Fulton Sheen’s powerful messages still resonate with audiences #Catholic – 
If he were alive today, Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen might be lighting up social media — like TikTok, Facebook, and X — with his simple, engaging lessons and stories about how to live a fulfilling life in Christ.
Matthew E. Bunson, vice president and editorial director of EWTNNews, said that Venerable Sheen, one of the 20th Century’s most influential Catholic evangelists, would already have attracted “millions of followers” on digital platforms by now. On the night of Sept. 16, Bunson made that assertion during his talk, “The Life and Beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen,” at St. Thomas More Church in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township, N.J.
The well-attended presentation in Morris County occurred less than a week before Venerable Sheen is beatified this Thursday, Sept. 24, at a Mass at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Mo. At that time, he will be designated as “blessed.” During his life, the nationally known TV and radio evangelist, author, and speaker traveled from his New York City residence to the Paterson Diocese, N.J., many times to give presentations and visit family and friends.
Fulton J. Sheen’s family overjoyed about his beatification
Long before digital media, Venerable Sheen transformed religious communications. Starting in the 1930s, he rose to fame, touching the lives of millions with the Catholic Hour radio show and, even more lives in the 1950s, with his popular TV program, Life is Worth Living. He also authored 73 books and countless pamphlets and essays explaining how the tenets of the Catholic faith enrich lives.
“The archbishop’s magnetic personality and presentations quickly drew an estimated 30 million viewers each week [to the TV show]. Jews, Protestants, Catholics and skeptics tuned in, quickly making him a household name,” Bunson said. The archbishop often beat his TV competitors on Sunday nights using little more than his engaging presentation, direct and into the camera, a corny joke, and writings on a chalkboard, he said. “It shows us [Catholic evangelizers] how to speak truth with clarity and charity. He possessed a variability to explain profound truths in language ordinary people could understand,” Bunson said.
Even today, Venerable Sheen reminds Catholics that no matter their walk of life, they are all called to be evangelists of the Gospel and to become saints, said Bunson, also a prominent Catholic historian, author, and theologian. In the modern age, Venerable Sheen has cultivated a huge following among Gen Z, he said.
Venerable Sheen’s “dramatic gestures or actual illustrations, and stories, were not entertainment for their own sake.” Instead, they were tools placed in the service of God’s truth, not to make himself famous. In accepting his Emmy award in 1952, he quipped, “I feel it is time I pay tribute to my four writers — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,” Bunson said.
“The archbishop understood that people are not searching for theories. They’re searching for meaning, forgiveness, truth, love, mercy, and hope. Christianity answers that search to a person,” said Bunson, adding Venerable Sheen spoke about the beauty of life and faith as well as the demands of the Gospel. “He challenged people to examine their consciousness and warned against materialism, pride, sexual immorality, indifference, resentment, and worship of social. The archbishop reminded his listeners that a person can gain the whole world and still lose their soul,” he said.
Venerable Sheen also staunchly promoted the pro-life cause long before legalized abortion and was a prophet of the Eucharistic revival. He also taught at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., was national director of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, and served as bishop of Rochester, N.Y. He died in 1979 at 84.
The New Jersey Area Order of Malta, a lay religious order of the Church that seeks to glorify God through work with the sick and the poor and witness of the Catholic faith, sponsored the presentation. Christine Myers of the Order of Malta served as master of ceremonies. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and members of Venerable Sheen’s family attended.
After Bunson’s talk, the bishop told the crowd, “Thank God for Archbishop Sheen’s ministry, and we look forward to his beatification next Thursday.”
In his presentation, Bunson said, “The archbishop reminds us that the salvation of souls must remain our priority. Evangelization, however, can also take place through a microphone, television camera, classroom, a newspaper, conversation, in an ordinary home, or anyone who lives,” Bunson said.
– If he were alive today, Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen might be lighting up social media — like TikTok, Facebook, and X — with his simple, engaging lessons and stories about how to live a fulfilling life in Christ. Matthew E. Bunson, vice president and editorial director of EWTNNews, said that Venerable Sheen, one of the 20th Century’s most influential Catholic evangelists, would already have attracted “millions of followers” on digital platforms by now. On the night of Sept. 16, Bunson made that assertion during his talk, “The Life and Beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen,” at St. Thomas More Church
Brighten lives of those in need through Diocesan Ministries Appeal #Catholic – 
This weekend, Sept. 19 to 20, the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will commence its 2026 Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA) in parishes, inviting local faithful to “Be a Good Samaritan” — the theme for this year’s Appeal — in supporting the good works of the Church of Paterson for those in most need.
The annual DMA helps fund ministries that serve the poor, sick, and needy through diocesan Catholic Charities; city school students; educational needs for diocesan seminarians; and priests’ healthcare, including support for Nazareth Village, the diocesan home for retired priests in Chester.
For the Kick-Off Weekend, each parish’s Lay Appeal Chairperson will speak at Mass, encouraging participation in the 2026 DMA. The In-Pew Commitment Weekend will be Oct. 24 and 25. At that time, the pastor in each parish will play Bishop Sweeney’s DMA video or his audio homily at all Masses and lead the In-Pew process.
Last year, through the generosity of the faithful, the Appeal raised almost $5.7 million in pledges with almost $1.3 million in parish rebates.
In a video to promote the 2026 DMA, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney said Jesus teaches us through the Parable of the Good Samaritan “that we are called to go to those who are in need to help our brothers and sisters who are most in need.”
“Your support of the Appeal helps us…serve as Jesus calls us to serve. Thank you for your prayerful consideration, and I hope that you’ll be able to make a gift or a pledge to our annual appeal, and truly be a Good Samaritan,” Bishop Sweeney said in the video.
Last year will be the final allocation of DMA funds for a three-year, $600,000 grant for the complete renovation of Father English Food Pantry in Paterson, N.J., at $200,000 annually, said Tim Potter, diocesan development director.
“The food pantry assists thousands of people each month, and the building needed to be retrofitted to expand space for food and clothing,” Potter said. “The new layout also allows for space for people needing emergency services as well as English as a Second Language and computer classes. The incredible generosity of the faithful helped make this possible,” he said.
In addition to the usual support for Catholic Charities’ work, this year’s DMA is also funding the At-Risk Youth program in Paterson and providing funds to purchase a handicapped-accessible van to support the important work of the Department for Persons with Disabilities of Catholic Charities, Potter said.
The largest percentage of Appeal funds supports Catholic Charities. The agency reaches out to give help and hope to people in poverty with programs such as food pantries in each of the diocese’s three counties and emergency housing and homelessness prevention.
Catholic Charities also has programs that aid at-risk youth, people with physical and developmental disabilities, people with HIV/AIDS, senior citizens, veterans, and men and women battling addiction through the agency’s Straight and Narrow substance treatment program in Paterson.
The DMA also helps seminarians preparing for a lifetime of service to the Church by funding their education, as well as retired priests who have faithfully served the diocese for decades. The DMA supports priests’ extraordinary healthcare needs as well as Nazareth Village, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence in Chester, N.J.
The generous support of the Diocesan Ministries Appeal has made it possible to provide a faith-filled, excellent Catholic education to students in economically challenged urban areas — a mission that continues to thrive.
Through the Parish Rebate program, half of the amount received over the parish goal is returned to parishes for their own needs. Last year’s Appeal returned almost $1.3 million directly to parishes.
Potter said the Appeal theme, “Be A Good Samaritan,” is “a reminder that we are called to care for our neighbors in need. The Diocesan Ministries Appeal is a concrete way to make that happen. When you give to the Appeal, you are truly transforming lives.”
There are ways to give to DMA:
• One-time gift or pledges paid over several months with reminders sent for your convenience.
• Credit card contributions- see information on your pledge card or call 973-777-8818, ext. 263 for details.
• Online gifts- go to www.2026appeal.org andfollow instructions for pledging.
• Recurring monthly gift– visit www.2026appeal.org and choose the Recurring Gift Option that will help people in need now and in the future. You can discontinue your recurring gift at any time. For more information, call 973-777-8818, ext. 263.
• Gifts can also be made through stocks, matching gifts, and/or an IRA. The EIN is 22-1493174. Make donations under the organization name: Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. Contact Aimee Landestoy at 973-777-8818 ext. 282 after you make your gift so we can credit your donation properly.
– This weekend, Sept. 19 to 20, the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will commence its 2026 Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA) in parishes, inviting local faithful to “Be a Good Samaritan” — the theme for this year’s Appeal — in supporting the good works of the Church of Paterson for those in most need. The annual DMA helps fund ministries that serve the poor, sick, and needy through diocesan Catholic Charities; city school students; educational needs for diocesan seminarians; and priests’ healthcare, including support for Nazareth Village, the diocesan home for retired priests in Chester. For the Kick-Off Weekend, each parish’s Lay Appeal
![St. Carlo Acutis relic inspires faith at Wayne parish #Catholic – On Sept. 13, young people, their families, catechists, and parishioners filled Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Church in Wayne, N.J., with joy as the parish embarked on the new religious education year. With help from Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, the faith community also welcomed the arrival of a first-class relic of St. Carlo Acutis — canonized last year as the first millennial saint — to inspire people’s faith at its new home in IHM’s church.
Pope Leo XIV canonized two young men as saints, St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, on Sept. 7 last year in Rome. They have become models of the Catholic faith, especially for youth and young adults in the Church.
Considered to be the first millennial saint, British-born St. Carlo died from incurable leukemia in 2006 at age 15 in Italy. Active in parish life, he served as a catechist and helped inspire several people to convert to Catholicism. Called “God’s influencer,” St. Carlo received the Eucharist daily and used his digital media skills to share the joy of Christ’s Real Presence with the world. He developed what have become traveling exhibitions about Eucharistic miracles, which have visited the Paterson Diocese on several occasions.
On that Sept. 13, Sunday morning, Bishop Sweeney celebrated a Mass at IHM with Father Mateusz “Fr. Matt” Jasniewicz, its pastor. Children from the parish’s religious education program led the congregation in songs of praise during the liturgy.
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“It’s wonderful that one of St. Carlo’s relics has been entrusted to IHM and is available for prayer and veneration. It’s significant because St. Carlo shows young people and everybody that holiness is possible now — not only in the Middle Ages or in the future,” Father Jasniewicz said. “St. Carlo also had a devotion to the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. He can open youth to learning more about the Church and our faith and how to have a relationship with Jesus — to fall in love with him — and share that love with others,” he said.
After undergoing a formal process with the Diocese of Assisi in Italy that included Bishop Sweeney, Father Jasniewicz flew to Assisi in August to secure one of St. Carlo’s first-class relics — a snippet of his hair — for IHM. In Assisi, St. Carlo is entombed in the Shrine of Renunciation inside the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Housed in a reliquary, the St. Carlo relic is displayed in a shrine in the rear of IHM’s church near the confessional. It joins several other relics at the shrine in IHM, including ones of St. John Paul II, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. Lucy Filippini.
St. Mary Parish in Dover, N.J., also has a first-class relic of St. Carlo from Assisi.
Father Jasniewicz also said St. Carlo is relatable to young people in their own lives — with backpacks, computers, and soccer balls.
“St. Carlo was a young person who loved life, technology, his friends, and above all, Jesus in the Eucharist. His life reminds our young people that becoming a saint does not mean becoming someone else. It means allowing God to work through who you are and the gifts He has given you,” Father Jasniewicz posted on social media after the Mass.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/st-carlo-acutis-relic-inspires-faith-at-wayne-parish-catholic-on-sept-13-young-people-their-families-catechists-and-parishioners-filled-immaculate-heart-of-mary-ihm-church-in-wayne-n-j-w.jpg "St. Carlo Acutis relic inspires faith at Wayne parish #Catholic – On Sept. 13, young people, their families, catechists, and parishioners filled Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Church in Wayne, N.J., with joy as the parish embarked on the new religious education year. With help from Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, the faith community also welcomed the arrival of a first-class relic of St. Carlo Acutis — canonized last year as the first millennial saint — to inspire people’s faith at its new home in IHM’s church.
Pope Leo XIV canonized two young men as saints, St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, on Sept. 7 last year in Rome. They have become models of the Catholic faith, especially for youth and young adults in the Church.
Considered to be the first millennial saint, British-born St. Carlo died from incurable leukemia in 2006 at age 15 in Italy. Active in parish life, he served as a catechist and helped inspire several people to convert to Catholicism. Called “God’s influencer,” St. Carlo received the Eucharist daily and used his digital media skills to share the joy of Christ’s Real Presence with the world. He developed what have become traveling exhibitions about Eucharistic miracles, which have visited the Paterson Diocese on several occasions.
On that Sept. 13, Sunday morning, Bishop Sweeney celebrated a Mass at IHM with Father Mateusz “Fr. Matt” Jasniewicz, its pastor. Children from the parish’s religious education program led the congregation in songs of praise during the liturgy.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
“It’s wonderful that one of St. Carlo’s relics has been entrusted to IHM and is available for prayer and veneration. It’s significant because St. Carlo shows young people and everybody that holiness is possible now — not only in the Middle Ages or in the future,” Father Jasniewicz said. “St. Carlo also had a devotion to the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. He can open youth to learning more about the Church and our faith and how to have a relationship with Jesus — to fall in love with him — and share that love with others,” he said.
After undergoing a formal process with the Diocese of Assisi in Italy that included Bishop Sweeney, Father Jasniewicz flew to Assisi in August to secure one of St. Carlo’s first-class relics — a snippet of his hair — for IHM. In Assisi, St. Carlo is entombed in the Shrine of Renunciation inside the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Housed in a reliquary, the St. Carlo relic is displayed in a shrine in the rear of IHM’s church near the confessional. It joins several other relics at the shrine in IHM, including ones of St. John Paul II, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. Lucy Filippini.
St. Mary Parish in Dover, N.J., also has a first-class relic of St. Carlo from Assisi.
Father Jasniewicz also said St. Carlo is relatable to young people in their own lives — with backpacks, computers, and soccer balls.
“St. Carlo was a young person who loved life, technology, his friends, and above all, Jesus in the Eucharist. His life reminds our young people that becoming a saint does not mean becoming someone else. It means allowing God to work through who you are and the gifts He has given you,” Father Jasniewicz posted on social media after the Mass.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]")
St. Carlo Acutis relic inspires faith at Wayne parish #Catholic – 
On Sept. 13, young people, their families, catechists, and parishioners filled Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Church in Wayne, N.J., with joy as the parish embarked on the new religious education year. With help from Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, the faith community also welcomed the arrival of a first-class relic of St. Carlo Acutis — canonized last year as the first millennial saint — to inspire people’s faith at its new home in IHM’s church.
Pope Leo XIV canonized two young men as saints, St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, on Sept. 7 last year in Rome. They have become models of the Catholic faith, especially for youth and young adults in the Church.
Considered to be the first millennial saint, British-born St. Carlo died from incurable leukemia in 2006 at age 15 in Italy. Active in parish life, he served as a catechist and helped inspire several people to convert to Catholicism. Called “God’s influencer,” St. Carlo received the Eucharist daily and used his digital media skills to share the joy of Christ’s Real Presence with the world. He developed what have become traveling exhibitions about Eucharistic miracles, which have visited the Paterson Diocese on several occasions.
On that Sept. 13, Sunday morning, Bishop Sweeney celebrated a Mass at IHM with Father Mateusz “Fr. Matt” Jasniewicz, its pastor. Children from the parish’s religious education program led the congregation in songs of praise during the liturgy.
“It’s wonderful that one of St. Carlo’s relics has been entrusted to IHM and is available for prayer and veneration. It’s significant because St. Carlo shows young people and everybody that holiness is possible now — not only in the Middle Ages or in the future,” Father Jasniewicz said. “St. Carlo also had a devotion to the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. He can open youth to learning more about the Church and our faith and how to have a relationship with Jesus — to fall in love with him — and share that love with others,” he said.
After undergoing a formal process with the Diocese of Assisi in Italy that included Bishop Sweeney, Father Jasniewicz flew to Assisi in August to secure one of St. Carlo’s first-class relics — a snippet of his hair — for IHM. In Assisi, St. Carlo is entombed in the Shrine of Renunciation inside the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Housed in a reliquary, the St. Carlo relic is displayed in a shrine in the rear of IHM’s church near the confessional. It joins several other relics at the shrine in IHM, including ones of St. John Paul II, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. Lucy Filippini.
St. Mary Parish in Dover, N.J., also has a first-class relic of St. Carlo from Assisi.
Father Jasniewicz also said St. Carlo is relatable to young people in their own lives — with backpacks, computers, and soccer balls.
“St. Carlo was a young person who loved life, technology, his friends, and above all, Jesus in the Eucharist. His life reminds our young people that becoming a saint does not mean becoming someone else. It means allowing God to work through who you are and the gifts He has given you,” Father Jasniewicz posted on social media after the Mass.
– On Sept. 13, young people, their families, catechists, and parishioners filled Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Church in Wayne, N.J., with joy as the parish embarked on the new religious education year. With help from Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, the faith community also welcomed the arrival of a first-class relic of St. Carlo Acutis — canonized last year as the first millennial saint — to inspire people’s faith at its new home in IHM’s church. Pope Leo XIV canonized two young men as saints, St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, on Sept. 7 last year in Rome. They
Friday, September 18First Quarter Moon occurs at 4:44 P.M. EDT. The Moon then reaches apogee, the farthest point from Earth in its orbit, at 11 P.M. EDT. At that time, our satellite will be 251,171 miles (404,221 kilometers) away. Venus reaches greatest brilliancy at 9 P.M. EDT, shining at magnitude –4.8. It’s bright and easyContinue reading “The Sky This Week from September 18 to 25: Autumn begins”
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Beyond The Beacon podcast 118 – A life devoted to prayer: Inside a Carmelite monastery #Catholic – 
What does it mean to step away from the world and embrace a life of prayer, silence, and community? In this episode, we explore the quiet world of cloistered Carmelite life and the women who choose to dedicate themselves to God within the walls of a monastery.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Diocese of Paterson leads the thoughtful conversation about vocation, sacrifice, contemplation, and a way of life that remains largely unseen—but deeply spiritual.
The episode is recorded with the Discalced Carmelites of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel at their monastery in Morristown, N.J.
Joining Bishop Sweeney for interviews are Mother Therese Katulski, prioress of the Morristown and Malta monasteries; Sister Theresa Lee, F.M.A., chancellor and delegate for religious; Marcy Funk, a monastery volunteer; and Father Brendan Murray, who celebrates Masses with the sisters at their monastery in Morristown.
Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.
– What does it mean to step away from the world and embrace a life of prayer, silence, and community? In this episode, we explore the quiet world of cloistered Carmelite life and the women who choose to dedicate themselves to God within the walls of a monastery. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Diocese of Paterson leads the thoughtful conversation about vocation, sacrifice, contemplation, and a way of life that remains largely unseen—but deeply spiritual. The episode is recorded with the Discalced Carmelites of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel at their monastery in Morristown, N.J. Joining Bishop
Paterson priest honored with national addiction counselors’ award #Catholic – 
The National Association of Alcohol and Drug Counselors (NAADAC) on Aug. 28 presented Father Ed Reading, a priest of the Paterson Diocese who serves outside the diocese, with the Addiction Educator of the Year Award during the EMPOWER 2026 NAADAC Annual Conference, held last month in Kansas City, Mo.
Father Reading is a N.J.-licensed drug and alcohol counselor and an educator and scholar in the addiction field. Also known as Dr. Reading, he has been in the addiction field since 1969 — long before there was an organized profession of addiction studies. He lives in Ortley Beach, N.J.
Father Reading has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels at more than six colleges and universities in New Jersey, as well as providing professional training and education to medical professionals, law enforcement professionals, and professional clergy. For more than 50 years, he has been a nationally recognized leader in the field of addictions, authoring professional publications and presenting professional lectures throughout the United States and four provinces of Canada.
In addition, Father Reading has served on the N.J. State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners, where he has chaired the Alcohol and Drug Counselor Committee for more than 30 years. The committee certifies and licenses addiction counselors. The priest has been a driving force in state licensure regulation. His New Jersey license number is “1.” He is the longest-serving state licensing board member in the country.
Also, Father Reading has served elected terms as president of
the International Coalition for Addiction Studies Education and is the current president of the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission. He is currently employed at Ocean County College in New Jersey, where, for more than a decade, he has taught and mentored students in the Addiction Studies Program.
Ordained a Catholic priest of the diocese in 1972, Father Reading worked as a healthcare professional at Straight and Narrow in Paterson, the drug- and alcohol-treatment program of diocesan Catholic Charities, from 1969 to 1980, when he began ministering outside the diocese.
Father Reading has also served as a board member of diocesan Catholic Charities and as a weekend assistant at Good Shepherd Parish in Andover, N.J. He earned a doctorate in pastoral counseling from LaSalle University in Mandeville, La. in 2002.
Ted McCadden, program director of human services, counseling, and social work and president-elect of the International Coalition for Addiction Studies Education and a commissioner of the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission, was one of several professionals who enthusiastically submitted letters of recommendation for Father Reading’s award.
McCadden wrote, “It is difficult to imagine the Addiction Education field without Dr. Reading’s influence; he was a trailblazer in this field of study as it moved from the fringes and into the academic mainstream. Dr. Reading’s teaching career spans nearly 50 years, during which he has trained innumerable addiction professionals.”
“More than that, Dr. Reading’s contributions to the field of addiction education include establishing addiction counseling training programs at several institutions, mentoring programs to meet national standards for addiction studies education, and serving as a consultant to several state, national, and international institutions and agencies,” McCadden wrote.
McCadden also wrote that Father Reading’s vocation as a priest has allowed him to build a ministry of “healing the healers,” providing pastoral counseling services and focusing his vocation on addictions, treatment, prevention, education, and research for over 45 years.
“Through this ministry, he provides ‘boots on the ground’ _training for those who may encounter substance use in their own ministries—a truly unique application of his talents as an addiction educator,” McCadden wrote about Father Reading.
– The National Association of Alcohol and Drug Counselors (NAADAC) on Aug. 28 presented Father Ed Reading, a priest of the Paterson Diocese who serves outside the diocese, with the Addiction Educator of the Year Award during the EMPOWER 2026 NAADAC Annual Conference, held last month in Kansas City, Mo. Father Reading is a N.J.-licensed drug and alcohol counselor and an educator and scholar in the addiction field. Also known as Dr. Reading, he has been in the addiction field since 1969 — long before there was an organized profession of addiction studies. He lives in Ortley Beach, N.J. Father Reading
Pope Leo XIV names Bishop Michael Saporito to lead Diocese of Metuchen #Catholic – 
VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Michael A. Saporito of Newark, New Jersey, as the new bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey, the Vatican announced Sept. 15.
Bishop Saporito, 64, succeeds Metuchen’s former Bishop James F. Checchio, whom Pope Leo named archbishop of New Orleans earlier this year. The Diocese of Metuchen has been without a bishop since November 2025, when Archbishop Checchio was installed as coadjutor of the New Orleans Archdiocese.
“I am deeply grateful and humbled that Pope Leo XIV has called me to serve as the Bishop of Metuchen,” Bishop Saporito said in a statement following the announcement. “While it is not easy to leave the people and places that have formed and sustained me, I welcome this new mission with trust in the Holy Spirit.”
Born in Newark in 1962, Bishop Saporito has served as an auxiliary bishop in his home archdiocese since 2020, assisting Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin in overseeing the archdiocese, which is home to 1.3 million Catholics.
Throughout his ministry, Bishop Saporito has had a focus on the new evangelization, serving on the Archdiocese of Newark’s Evangelization Commission and as a board member of Christlife, an evangelization apostolate based in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. In Newark, he led the pastoral initiative “We Are His Witnesses” and served on the archdiocesan synod team.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Rutgers University Newark and worked as an accountant for three years before entering the archdiocesan seminary in 1987. He was ordained a priest in 1992 by then-Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick.
As the sixth bishop of Metuchen, Bishop Saporito will lead a diocese of about 1.5 million people, of whom more than 670,000 are Catholic. The New Jersey diocese encompasses Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset and Warren counties, and is served by 192 priests, 196 deacons, and 193 men and women religious.
“I look forward to meeting the priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful of the Diocese, walking with them as we seek to follow Jesus Christ and bear witness to the hope of the Gospel,” Bishop Saporito said.
The Vatican also announced the resignation of Bishop Francis I. Malone of Shreveport, Louisiana. Bishop Malone, 76, submitted his resignation to the pope last year at the age of 75, as required by canon law. Bishop Robert W. Marshall of Alexandria, Louisiana, will serve as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Shreveport until the appointment and installation of a new bishop.
Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.
– VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Michael A. Saporito of Newark, New Jersey, as the new bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey, the Vatican announced Sept. 15. Bishop Saporito, 64, succeeds Metuchen’s former Bishop James F. Checchio, whom Pope Leo named archbishop of New Orleans earlier this year. The Diocese of Metuchen has been without a bishop since November 2025, when Archbishop Checchio was installed as coadjutor of the New Orleans Archdiocese. “I am deeply grateful and humbled that Pope Leo XIV has called me to serve as the Bishop of Metuchen,” Bishop Saporito said
In a groundbreaking announcement, the U.S. Space Force stated publicly on Monday, Sept. 14, that it currently has on-orbit weapons in space. Department of the Air Force Secretary Troy Meink’s keynote address at the 2026 Air and Space Cyber Conference focused on plans to modernize the Air Force against AI-powered weapons and capabilities wielded byContinue reading “U.S. confirms it has weapons in orbit”
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Read More![Bishop to Catholics: let 9/11 heroes energize your vocations #Catholic – On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney urged Catholics to find inspiration from the “ordinary heroes” of that terrible day as they live their faith and the vocation to which Christ has called them. He said these heroes “were filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” courageously sacrificing their lives to save others that day.
Bishop Sweeney offered those reflections on Friday as the main celebrant and homilist of a Memorial Mass for the 9/11 anniversary for the staff of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., in the chapel of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. The faithful joined their fellow Americans across the country to “never forget” a quarter-century since that horrible day that shocked and changed the United States and the world.
Today, parishes around the diocese are prayerfully holding Memorial Masses and prayer services. They will pray for the souls of the victims, God’s continued comfort for their families and friends, the safety of first responders, and for God’s peace for the world.
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney praised the 9/11 heroes: first responders who assisted at the catastrophic disaster sites, including those who perished in the line of duty, and airline passengers who tried to stop the hijackers. Almost 3,000 people perished at the World Trade Center that day, but 17,000 were saved thanks to people who laid down their lives, he said.
“These ordinary people showed extraordinary courage, generosity, and wisdom, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the most challenging moments,” said Bishop Sweeney, who mentioned the 250th birthday of the nation this year. “We saw our country at our best on that day [9/11]. We saw citizens who were grateful for the freedoms that they received, because others were willing to sacrifice for previous generations,” he said.
These heroes modeled how Catholics should live their faith and “try to be open to God’s will and respond to our vocation” in their various roles in life, Bishop Sweeney told the congregation at St. Paul’s. In our vocations, Jesus calls all Catholics to become “servant leaders,” he said.
“We remember those who were lost 25 years ago. They gave so much. We remember them with gratitude, and we pray that we might be the disciples that Jesus is calling us to be, asking that we would be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” he said.
Concelebrating the Memorial Mass with Bishop Sweeney were Msgr. T. Mark Condon, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the Curia and pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Angels Parish in Little Falls, N.J.; Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Worship Office and pastor of St. Brendan and St. George Parish in Clifton, N.J.; Father Pawel Tomczyk, diocesan vicar for evangelization at St. Paul’s; Father Charles Lana Jr., director of the diocesan Vocations Office; and Msgr. Joseph Anginoli, a retired diocesan priest and adjutant judicial vicar for the diocesan Tribunal.
On social media, Bishop Sweeney added, “As we remember, we pray and, as Archbishop Hicks reminded us in a powerful homily yesterday, ‘healing takes time, Hope is Eternal.’ May they rest in Peace as we continue to pray and work for Peace on Earth.”
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bishop-to-catholics-let-9-11-heroes-energize-your-vocations-catholic-on-the-25th-anniversary-of-the-sept-11-2001-terrorist-attacks-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-urged-catholics-to-find-inspiration-fr.jpg "Bishop to Catholics: let 9/11 heroes energize your vocations #Catholic – On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney urged Catholics to find inspiration from the “ordinary heroes” of that terrible day as they live their faith and the vocation to which Christ has called them. He said these heroes “were filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” courageously sacrificing their lives to save others that day.
Bishop Sweeney offered those reflections on Friday as the main celebrant and homilist of a Memorial Mass for the 9/11 anniversary for the staff of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., in the chapel of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. The faithful joined their fellow Americans across the country to “never forget” a quarter-century since that horrible day that shocked and changed the United States and the world.
Today, parishes around the diocese are prayerfully holding Memorial Masses and prayer services. They will pray for the souls of the victims, God’s continued comfort for their families and friends, the safety of first responders, and for God’s peace for the world.
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney praised the 9/11 heroes: first responders who assisted at the catastrophic disaster sites, including those who perished in the line of duty, and airline passengers who tried to stop the hijackers. Almost 3,000 people perished at the World Trade Center that day, but 17,000 were saved thanks to people who laid down their lives, he said.
“These ordinary people showed extraordinary courage, generosity, and wisdom, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the most challenging moments,” said Bishop Sweeney, who mentioned the 250th birthday of the nation this year. “We saw our country at our best on that day [9/11]. We saw citizens who were grateful for the freedoms that they received, because others were willing to sacrifice for previous generations,” he said.
These heroes modeled how Catholics should live their faith and “try to be open to God’s will and respond to our vocation” in their various roles in life, Bishop Sweeney told the congregation at St. Paul’s. In our vocations, Jesus calls all Catholics to become “servant leaders,” he said.
“We remember those who were lost 25 years ago. They gave so much. We remember them with gratitude, and we pray that we might be the disciples that Jesus is calling us to be, asking that we would be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” he said.
Concelebrating the Memorial Mass with Bishop Sweeney were Msgr. T. Mark Condon, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the Curia and pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Angels Parish in Little Falls, N.J.; Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Worship Office and pastor of St. Brendan and St. George Parish in Clifton, N.J.; Father Pawel Tomczyk, diocesan vicar for evangelization at St. Paul’s; Father Charles Lana Jr., director of the diocesan Vocations Office; and Msgr. Joseph Anginoli, a retired diocesan priest and adjutant judicial vicar for the diocesan Tribunal.
On social media, Bishop Sweeney added, “As we remember, we pray and, as Archbishop Hicks reminded us in a powerful homily yesterday, ‘healing takes time, Hope is Eternal.’ May they rest in Peace as we continue to pray and work for Peace on Earth.”
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.")
Bishop to Catholics: let 9/11 heroes energize your vocations #Catholic – 
On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney urged Catholics to find inspiration from the “ordinary heroes” of that terrible day as they live their faith and the vocation to which Christ has called them. He said these heroes “were filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” courageously sacrificing their lives to save others that day.
Bishop Sweeney offered those reflections on Friday as the main celebrant and homilist of a Memorial Mass for the 9/11 anniversary for the staff of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., in the chapel of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. The faithful joined their fellow Americans across the country to “never forget” a quarter-century since that horrible day that shocked and changed the United States and the world.
Today, parishes around the diocese are prayerfully holding Memorial Masses and prayer services. They will pray for the souls of the victims, God’s continued comfort for their families and friends, the safety of first responders, and for God’s peace for the world.
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney praised the 9/11 heroes: first responders who assisted at the catastrophic disaster sites, including those who perished in the line of duty, and airline passengers who tried to stop the hijackers. Almost 3,000 people perished at the World Trade Center that day, but 17,000 were saved thanks to people who laid down their lives, he said.
“These ordinary people showed extraordinary courage, generosity, and wisdom, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the most challenging moments,” said Bishop Sweeney, who mentioned the 250th birthday of the nation this year. “We saw our country at our best on that day [9/11]. We saw citizens who were grateful for the freedoms that they received, because others were willing to sacrifice for previous generations,” he said.
These heroes modeled how Catholics should live their faith and “try to be open to God’s will and respond to our vocation” in their various roles in life, Bishop Sweeney told the congregation at St. Paul’s. In our vocations, Jesus calls all Catholics to become “servant leaders,” he said.
“We remember those who were lost 25 years ago. They gave so much. We remember them with gratitude, and we pray that we might be the disciples that Jesus is calling us to be, asking that we would be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” he said.
Concelebrating the Memorial Mass with Bishop Sweeney were Msgr. T. Mark Condon, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the Curia and pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Angels Parish in Little Falls, N.J.; Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Worship Office and pastor of St. Brendan and St. George Parish in Clifton, N.J.; Father Pawel Tomczyk, diocesan vicar for evangelization at St. Paul’s; Father Charles Lana Jr., director of the diocesan Vocations Office; and Msgr. Joseph Anginoli, a retired diocesan priest and adjutant judicial vicar for the diocesan Tribunal.
On social media, Bishop Sweeney added, “As we remember, we pray and, as Archbishop Hicks reminded us in a powerful homily yesterday, ‘healing takes time, Hope is Eternal.’ May they rest in Peace as we continue to pray and work for Peace on Earth.”
– On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney urged Catholics to find inspiration from the “ordinary heroes” of that terrible day as they live their faith and the vocation to which Christ has called them. He said these heroes “were filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” courageously sacrificing their lives to save others that day. Bishop Sweeney offered those reflections on Friday as the main celebrant and homilist of a Memorial Mass for the 9/11 anniversary for the staff of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., in the chapel of St. Paul Inside
TENERIFE, Canary Islands, Sept. 8, 2026 — Fifteen years after STARMUS brought together the legends who defined the first age of human space exploration, the Festival will welcome the explorers who have opened its newest chapter. Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen will attend STARMUS VIII — TheContinue reading “Artemis 2 crew lands at Starmus VII — 15 years after Armstrong, Aldrin, and Leonov launched its lengacy”
The post Artemis 2 crew lands at Starmus VII — 15 years after Armstrong, Aldrin, and Leonov launched its lengacy appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
Read More![Memory of brother killed on 9/11 still inspires priest #Catholic – On Sept. 11, 2001, Father Daniel Murphy and his family were dealt pain almost too agonizing to bear. His brother, Edward, 42, was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in Manhattan, leaving his entire family distraught.
Shortly after the attacks, Father Murphy, then pastor of Blessed [now St.] Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Sparta, N.J., found Jesus’ comfort in the following Sunday’s Gospel: Luke 15. It tells the parables of the Lost Coin, Lost Sheep, and Prodigal Son.
EDWARD MURPHY
As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches on Friday, Father Murphy is again reflecting on Luke 15 and what he has lost — and found —in his life since the attacks that changed the United States — and the world — forever. Today, he is a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J.
“I lost knowing a brother as an older adult, which I would have liked, and my mother, Evelyn, lost her youngest son and struggled with that,” said Father Murphy, the oldest of three Murphy brothers. In the tragedy’s aftermath, he has been meditating on the saving “Paschal Mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection celebrated at Mass that leads us Christians from death to life.”
That’s because Father Murphy has gained much in the wake of his brother Edward’s tragic death on 9/11. For example, the priest had become Evelyn’s caregiver after the death of Edward, who lived in Clifton, N.J., and cared for her.
FATHER DANIEL MURPHY
“In caring for my mother, I learned more about who she is — her humor, strength and faithfulness — despite her great loss,” said Father Murphy, noting that Evelyn died five years after 9/11.
Along with Father Murphy, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese will unite with all Americans on Friday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Faith communities across the diocese will hold memorial Masses and prayer services to pray for the victims, their families, first responders, and world peace.
The 25th anniversary is especially difficult for people in the diocese and the wider Tri-State area. Many of them had loved ones — or knew people — who were murdered in the attacks on that tragic day. All those who witnessed the brutality of 9/11 will never forget it.
In the attacks, Father Mychal Judge, a Franciscan friar and former pastor of St. Joseph Parish in West Milford, N.J., was killed while serving with the N.Y. Fire Department at Ground Zero. He is buried at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Totowa, N.J. Several priests ministered to law enforcement, fire departments, and recovery workers at Ground Zero.
In his recent column on BeaconNJ., Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney gives a personal reflection on 9/11. He urges Americans to remember the courage, kindness, gratitude, unity and prayer that were fostered during that dark time. He praises first responders, who arrived at the disaster zones at the WTC, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Penn., including many who died. Bishop Sweeney also commends those who inspired these “ordinary citizens,” many of whom were formed in Catholic schools and parishes.
“If we remember and if we continue to learn the lessons taught to us by the Heroes of Sept. 11, 2001, I believe we can be stronger, kinder, more united, grateful, and prayerful as individuals and families, as communities, as a nation, and as a Church,” Bishop Sweeney writes in his column.
Father Murphy’s brother, Edward, 42, was managing director of Cantor Fitzgerald, which occupied several upper floors in WTC’s North Tower. That morning, Father Murphy was having breakfast in the Sparta Diner and overheard people talking about a plane that hit one of WTC’s towers. Fortunately, the priest’s nephew, Ryan, who worked on a lower floor at WTC, managed to escape.
“Priests often feel that they need to be the ones supporting their parishes. But after the attacks, I learned that priests also need the support of their parish families,” Father Murphy said. “My Blessed Kateri parishioners carried my family and me with their kindness and compassion. It’s important that priests learn to be vulnerable,” he said.
Also, Father Murphy discovered a passion for initiating interfaith dialogues in parishes, especially among Catholics, Jews and Moslems.
“I was determined to remember the pain and loss of my brother’s violent death and make sure it did not become a source for more violence, division and animosity in our world,” Father Murphy said. “I know that my faith life and the lives of many others have been deepened by better understanding and appreciating the faith lives of people different from Christians,” he said.
Deeply affected by the pain of 9/11, Father Murphy had the opportunity to be present in 2015 when Pope Francis visited the WTC site for an interfaith prayer service. Father Murphy said, “I was very touched by the simple gesture of his lighting a candle at the site as a sign of our call to find light in the midst of darkness.”
Together, the Murphy family found some comfort in Edward’s death by establishing a scholarship in his name for a deserving student at Xavier High School in Manhattan. Father Murphy serves there as a part-time chaplain and is a graduate.
On Friday, the day of the 25th anniversary, Father Murphy will not celebrate Memorial Masses or speak. He will concelebrate a Mass at Xavier High School the day before. Instead, he will travel to Boston, Mass., to visit Richard, the middle of the Murphy brothers, and his family.
They will inevitably share memories of Edward, a lifelong Clifton resident. He was chairman of the township’s Traffic Safety Commission and a former Supreme Knight of the Regina Mundi Council of the Knights of Columbus.
Edward was also an avid golfer and a marathon runner who competed in the New York and Boston marathons.
“Ed was quiet — an introvert. He was intense about his interests like running, golf, or finances. I still miss him,” Father Murphy said.
To read Bishop Sweeney’s column, “Remembering Sept. 11, 2001: What do we Remember?” click here.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/memory-of-brother-killed-on-9-11-still-inspires-priest-catholic-on-sept-11-2001-father-daniel-murphy-and-his-family-were-dealt-pain-almost-too-agonizing-to-bear-his-brother-edward-42-was-kil.jpg "Memory of brother killed on 9/11 still inspires priest #Catholic – On Sept. 11, 2001, Father Daniel Murphy and his family were dealt pain almost too agonizing to bear. His brother, Edward, 42, was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in Manhattan, leaving his entire family distraught.
Shortly after the attacks, Father Murphy, then pastor of Blessed [now St.] Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Sparta, N.J., found Jesus’ comfort in the following Sunday’s Gospel: Luke 15. It tells the parables of the Lost Coin, Lost Sheep, and Prodigal Son.
EDWARD MURPHY
As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches on Friday, Father Murphy is again reflecting on Luke 15 and what he has lost — and found —in his life since the attacks that changed the United States — and the world — forever. Today, he is a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J.
“I lost knowing a brother as an older adult, which I would have liked, and my mother, Evelyn, lost her youngest son and struggled with that,” said Father Murphy, the oldest of three Murphy brothers. In the tragedy’s aftermath, he has been meditating on the saving “Paschal Mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection celebrated at Mass that leads us Christians from death to life.”
That’s because Father Murphy has gained much in the wake of his brother Edward’s tragic death on 9/11. For example, the priest had become Evelyn’s caregiver after the death of Edward, who lived in Clifton, N.J., and cared for her.
FATHER DANIEL MURPHY
“In caring for my mother, I learned more about who she is — her humor, strength and faithfulness — despite her great loss,” said Father Murphy, noting that Evelyn died five years after 9/11.
Along with Father Murphy, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese will unite with all Americans on Friday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Faith communities across the diocese will hold memorial Masses and prayer services to pray for the victims, their families, first responders, and world peace.
The 25th anniversary is especially difficult for people in the diocese and the wider Tri-State area. Many of them had loved ones — or knew people — who were murdered in the attacks on that tragic day. All those who witnessed the brutality of 9/11 will never forget it.
In the attacks, Father Mychal Judge, a Franciscan friar and former pastor of St. Joseph Parish in West Milford, N.J., was killed while serving with the N.Y. Fire Department at Ground Zero. He is buried at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Totowa, N.J. Several priests ministered to law enforcement, fire departments, and recovery workers at Ground Zero.
In his recent column on BeaconNJ., Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney gives a personal reflection on 9/11. He urges Americans to remember the courage, kindness, gratitude, unity and prayer that were fostered during that dark time. He praises first responders, who arrived at the disaster zones at the WTC, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Penn., including many who died. Bishop Sweeney also commends those who inspired these “ordinary citizens,” many of whom were formed in Catholic schools and parishes.
“If we remember and if we continue to learn the lessons taught to us by the Heroes of Sept. 11, 2001, I believe we can be stronger, kinder, more united, grateful, and prayerful as individuals and families, as communities, as a nation, and as a Church,” Bishop Sweeney writes in his column.
Father Murphy’s brother, Edward, 42, was managing director of Cantor Fitzgerald, which occupied several upper floors in WTC’s North Tower. That morning, Father Murphy was having breakfast in the Sparta Diner and overheard people talking about a plane that hit one of WTC’s towers. Fortunately, the priest’s nephew, Ryan, who worked on a lower floor at WTC, managed to escape.
“Priests often feel that they need to be the ones supporting their parishes. But after the attacks, I learned that priests also need the support of their parish families,” Father Murphy said. “My Blessed Kateri parishioners carried my family and me with their kindness and compassion. It’s important that priests learn to be vulnerable,” he said.
Also, Father Murphy discovered a passion for initiating interfaith dialogues in parishes, especially among Catholics, Jews and Moslems.
“I was determined to remember the pain and loss of my brother’s violent death and make sure it did not become a source for more violence, division and animosity in our world,” Father Murphy said. “I know that my faith life and the lives of many others have been deepened by better understanding and appreciating the faith lives of people different from Christians,” he said.
Deeply affected by the pain of 9/11, Father Murphy had the opportunity to be present in 2015 when Pope Francis visited the WTC site for an interfaith prayer service. Father Murphy said, “I was very touched by the simple gesture of his lighting a candle at the site as a sign of our call to find light in the midst of darkness.”
Together, the Murphy family found some comfort in Edward’s death by establishing a scholarship in his name for a deserving student at Xavier High School in Manhattan. Father Murphy serves there as a part-time chaplain and is a graduate.
On Friday, the day of the 25th anniversary, Father Murphy will not celebrate Memorial Masses or speak. He will concelebrate a Mass at Xavier High School the day before. Instead, he will travel to Boston, Mass., to visit Richard, the middle of the Murphy brothers, and his family.
They will inevitably share memories of Edward, a lifelong Clifton resident. He was chairman of the township’s Traffic Safety Commission and a former Supreme Knight of the Regina Mundi Council of the Knights of Columbus.
Edward was also an avid golfer and a marathon runner who competed in the New York and Boston marathons.
“Ed was quiet — an introvert. He was intense about his interests like running, golf, or finances. I still miss him,” Father Murphy said.
To read Bishop Sweeney’s column, “Remembering Sept. 11, 2001: What do we Remember?” click here.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.")
Memory of brother killed on 9/11 still inspires priest #Catholic – 
On Sept. 11, 2001, Father Daniel Murphy and his family were dealt pain almost too agonizing to bear. His brother, Edward, 42, was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in Manhattan, leaving his entire family distraught.
Shortly after the attacks, Father Murphy, then pastor of Blessed [now St.] Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Sparta, N.J., found Jesus’ comfort in the following Sunday’s Gospel: Luke 15. It tells the parables of the Lost Coin, Lost Sheep, and Prodigal Son.
As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches on Friday, Father Murphy is again reflecting on Luke 15 and what he has lost — and found —in his life since the attacks that changed the United States — and the world — forever. Today, he is a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese, N.J.
“I lost knowing a brother as an older adult, which I would have liked, and my mother, Evelyn, lost her youngest son and struggled with that,” said Father Murphy, the oldest of three Murphy brothers. In the tragedy’s aftermath, he has been meditating on the saving “Paschal Mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection celebrated at Mass that leads us Christians from death to life.”
That’s because Father Murphy has gained much in the wake of his brother Edward’s tragic death on 9/11. For example, the priest had become Evelyn’s caregiver after the death of Edward, who lived in Clifton, N.J., and cared for her.
“In caring for my mother, I learned more about who she is — her humor, strength and faithfulness — despite her great loss,” said Father Murphy, noting that Evelyn died five years after 9/11.
Along with Father Murphy, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese will unite with all Americans on Friday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Faith communities across the diocese will hold memorial Masses and prayer services to pray for the victims, their families, first responders, and world peace.
The 25th anniversary is especially difficult for people in the diocese and the wider Tri-State area. Many of them had loved ones — or knew people — who were murdered in the attacks on that tragic day. All those who witnessed the brutality of 9/11 will never forget it.
In the attacks, Father Mychal Judge, a Franciscan friar and former pastor of St. Joseph Parish in West Milford, N.J., was killed while serving with the N.Y. Fire Department at Ground Zero. He is buried at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Totowa, N.J. Several priests ministered to law enforcement, fire departments, and recovery workers at Ground Zero.
In his recent column on BeaconNJ., Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney gives a personal reflection on 9/11. He urges Americans to remember the courage, kindness, gratitude, unity and prayer that were fostered during that dark time. He praises first responders, who arrived at the disaster zones at the WTC, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Penn., including many who died. Bishop Sweeney also commends those who inspired these “ordinary citizens,” many of whom were formed in Catholic schools and parishes.
“If we remember and if we continue to learn the lessons taught to us by the Heroes of Sept. 11, 2001, I believe we can be stronger, kinder, more united, grateful, and prayerful as individuals and families, as communities, as a nation, and as a Church,” Bishop Sweeney writes in his column.
Father Murphy’s brother, Edward, 42, was managing director of Cantor Fitzgerald, which occupied several upper floors in WTC’s North Tower. That morning, Father Murphy was having breakfast in the Sparta Diner and overheard people talking about a plane that hit one of WTC’s towers. Fortunately, the priest’s nephew, Ryan, who worked on a lower floor at WTC, managed to escape.
“Priests often feel that they need to be the ones supporting their parishes. But after the attacks, I learned that priests also need the support of their parish families,” Father Murphy said. “My Blessed Kateri parishioners carried my family and me with their kindness and compassion. It’s important that priests learn to be vulnerable,” he said.
Also, Father Murphy discovered a passion for initiating interfaith dialogues in parishes, especially among Catholics, Jews and Moslems.
“I was determined to remember the pain and loss of my brother’s violent death and make sure it did not become a source for more violence, division and animosity in our world,” Father Murphy said. “I know that my faith life and the lives of many others have been deepened by better understanding and appreciating the faith lives of people different from Christians,” he said.
Deeply affected by the pain of 9/11, Father Murphy had the opportunity to be present in 2015 when Pope Francis visited the WTC site for an interfaith prayer service. Father Murphy said, “I was very touched by the simple gesture of his lighting a candle at the site as a sign of our call to find light in the midst of darkness.”
Together, the Murphy family found some comfort in Edward’s death by establishing a scholarship in his name for a deserving student at Xavier High School in Manhattan. Father Murphy serves there as a part-time chaplain and is a graduate.
On Friday, the day of the 25th anniversary, Father Murphy will not celebrate Memorial Masses or speak. He will concelebrate a Mass at Xavier High School the day before. Instead, he will travel to Boston, Mass., to visit Richard, the middle of the Murphy brothers, and his family.
They will inevitably share memories of Edward, a lifelong Clifton resident. He was chairman of the township’s Traffic Safety Commission and a former Supreme Knight of the Regina Mundi Council of the Knights of Columbus.
Edward was also an avid golfer and a marathon runner who competed in the New York and Boston marathons.
“Ed was quiet — an introvert. He was intense about his interests like running, golf, or finances. I still miss him,” Father Murphy said.
To read Bishop Sweeney’s column, “Remembering Sept. 11, 2001: What do we Remember?” click here.
– On Sept. 11, 2001, Father Daniel Murphy and his family were dealt pain almost too agonizing to bear. His brother, Edward, 42, was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in Manhattan, leaving his entire family distraught. Shortly after the attacks, Father Murphy, then pastor of Blessed [now St.] Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Sparta, N.J., found Jesus’ comfort in the following Sunday’s Gospel: Luke 15. It tells the parables of the Lost Coin, Lost Sheep, and Prodigal Son. EDWARD MURPHY As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches on Friday, Father Murphy is again reflecting on Luke
With great sorrow, diocese to commemorate 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks #Catholic – 
With heavy hearts, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will join all Americans next Friday to solemnly and prayerfully commemorate the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 — a day of horror and loss that devastated the United States and forever changed the country and the world.
On that sad anniversary, several parishes, including the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., and other faith communities across the diocese will hold memorial Masses and prayer services. They will pray for the souls of the victims, God’s continued comfort for their families and friends, the safety of first responders, and for God’s peace for the world.
The 25th anniversary hits especially hard for residents in the diocese and the wider Tri-State area. Many of them had loved ones —or knew people —who were murdered in the attacks on that tragic day. All those who witnessed the brutality of 9/11 will never forget it.
Close to home, Father Mychal Judge, a Franciscan friar and former pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in West Milford, N.J., was killed while serving with the N.Y. Fire Department at Ground Zero. He is buried at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in Totowa, N.J. Father Daniel Murphy, now a retired diocesan priest, lost his younger brother, Edward Murphy, in the attack on the North Tower. Several priests ministered to law enforcement, fire departments, and recovery workers at Ground Zero.
On the 25th anniversary, St. John’s Cathedral, the diocese’s mother church, will hold a Mass of Remembrance at 7 p.m. Personnel from local police and fire departments and the FBI have been invited. The liturgy will include ringing a bell and playing bagpipes to honor the victims. Information: call 973-345-4070.
“We will pray for those who have died in the attacks, those who are keeping us safe, and for an end to terrorism,” said Msgr. Geno Sylva, St. John’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects. He ministered at the Ground Zero morgue the day after 9/11 and on site thereafter.
Next Friday, Bishop Sweeney will celebrate a Mass of Remembrance specifically for the diocesan pastoral staff of the chapel of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. It will be “an opportunity to pray for the fallen and to share some time as a diocesan family, remembering our common mission to be instruments of peace,” according to the diocese.
St. Christopher Parish in Parsippany, N.J., will hold a Memorial Mass at 8:45 a.m. in the church. Parishioners, families, neighbors, and friends are invited. Information: call 973-539-7050.
“As people of faith, we will gather not only to remember but also to pray for eternal rest for those who perished, for comfort for those who still carry the pain of loss, for the men and women who continue to serve our communities and country, and for God’s gift of peace throughout our nations and the world,” St. Christopher’s states in its bulletin announcement. “May we never forget the lives entrusted to God’s mercy on that September morning and may we honor their memory by building a future rooted in compassion, unity and hope, trusting in God’s enduring love,” the parish states.
The Shrine of St. Joseph, operated by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township, N.J., will hold an ecumenical prayer service at 7 p.m. in the chapel. Participants will gather “to remember and pray for peace,” according to the shrine.
Local clergy members who attend St. Joseph’s service will share in the prayers and reflections on peace. The shrine will also honor local first responders for their continued support of the community.
After St. Joseph’s service, participants will process outside to the Tower of Remembrance, which incorporates vertical rusted steel girders from the World Trade Center’s North Tower that set between an ascending column of bells. It is a spiritual site for grieving families and annual ecumenical vigils. Information: call 908-647-0208.
At 7 p.m. on the anniversary, Annunciation Parish in Wayne, N.J., will hold a Commemoration Mass, celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Manuel Cruz of the Newark Archdiocese, N.J. Information: call 973-694-5700.
St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., will hold a Mass of Remembrance at 7 p.m. Earlier that day, the parish will also hold a holy hour for peace after the 9 a.m. Mass. Information: call 973-779-6200.
For the anniversary, St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Hardyston, N.J., will hold a recitation of the Patriotic Rosary at 6 p.m., a Memorial Mass at 6:30 p.m. and holy hour after the Mass until 8 p.m. Information: call 973-827-8030.
“We will pray for those who were lost, including the many who died of 9/11-related illnesses, many long after the attack; for the victims who are still suffering from mental illness; for the families; for our country; and for peace,” said Father Michael Rodak, pastor of St. Jude’s and diocesan pilgrimage director. He expressed hope that the 9/11 events will educate young people, many of whom were not yet born at the time of the attacks.
For an BeaconNJ.org archive story about the various memorials for the victims of the 9/11 attacks in the Paterson Diocese, N.J., that can be visited, click here.
– With heavy hearts, the faithful of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will join all Americans next Friday to solemnly and prayerfully commemorate the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 — a day of horror and loss that devastated the United States and forever changed the country and the world. On that sad anniversary, several parishes, including the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., and other faith communities across the diocese will hold memorial Masses and prayer services. They will pray for the souls of the victims, God’s continued comfort for their families and friends,
![Bishop celebrates Jubilee Year of St. Francis with Mass #Catholic – Dominick Cortellessa said it was a moving experience. He wasn’t alone in that feeling as his church honored its namesake on a landmark feast day.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney joined about 10 seminarians and pews filled with pilgrims at St. Francis of Assisi Church in the Haskell neighborhood of Wanaque, N.J., on Aug. 29 to celebrate the Year of St. Francis. They gathered for a Mass to mark 800 years since the Transitus of St. Francis — when he died and went to God.
“It was a very warm, wonderful feeling that God was with us,” said Cortellessa, a 20-year parishioner of St. Francis who is a lector and extraordinary minister of the Eucharist.
The Mass came at a near-center of the Jubilee Year of St. Francis, which Pope Leo XIV declared in a decree on Jan. 10. It honors one of the most well-known saints, one who lived in 11th- and 12th-century Italy. He dedicated his life to under-resourced people, to protecting and promoting God’s creation, and to starting the Franciscan spirituality that has spawned countless religious orders. The late Pope Francis chose his papal name partly because of St. Francis of Assisi, along with St. Francis Xavier.
“My sisters and brothers, thank you for your ‘yes’ for being here today,” Bishop Sweeney said to the pilgrims who came to the Mass that Saturday.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Pope Leo XIV’s decree allows Catholics to receive plenary indulgences if they make a pilgrimage to parishes connected to St. Francis of Assisi. Indulgences offer special pardons from temporal punishment after Catholics experience the Sacrament of Confession.
St. Francis of Assisi in Wanaque is one of five parishes in the diocese that Bishop Sweeney declared on April 29 as locations where people can receive plenary indulgences. The others are St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Butler, N.J., St. Clare Parish in Clifton, N.J., St. John Kanty Parish in the Athenia neighborhood of Clifton, and St. Mary’s Parish in Pompton Lakes, N.J.
“I’m so grateful, Father Greg [Golba, the pastor of St. Francis], for this opportunity. I am grateful the seminarians are here. What a blessing to be here together today to celebrate this Mass in honor of our patron,” Bishop Sweeney said at the Mass at St. Francis.
Bishop Sweeney offered the decree of Pope Leo XIV during his homily, illuminating St. Francis’ life and encouraging those in attendance to mirror his saintly path.
“‘Hold fast to the memory of our father and brother Francis, for the praise and glory of him who made him great among us, and glorified him in the sight of the angels. Pray for him as he once asked us, and pray to him that God may make us sharers with him of his holy grace,’” Bishop Sweeney said, quoting Brother Elias, an early follower of St. Francis, in a letter to the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, which St. Francis started.
Bishop Sweeney also cited the Gospel reading of the day from St. Matthew, relating St. Francis’s simplicity to how Jesus gives wisdom.
“Jesus gives thanks to the Father because he is revealed, not to the wise and the learned but to the simple, the truths of the kingdom of heaven, and perhaps no one better than St. Francis,” Bishop Sweeney said.
After the Mass, Father Golba said, “We were so happy having our bishop. We knew from the beginning that it would be something special for us, because we’re the one parish in the diocese with that title of saint with our patron.”
Father Golba said the Mass was a powerful reminder of St. Francis’ life calling, one he personally encountered on his pilgrimage to experience St. Francis’ life. He saw similarities between his time in St. Francis’ holy places and the Mass the bishop celebrated with him.
“Years ago as a young priest, I went to Assisi. When I was in the Basilica of Saint Francis, it was a similar experience,” he said. “This time, the beating of my heart was stronger, like I was in Assisi.”
Bishop Sweeney urged the pilgrims in attendance to live lives that emulate the compassion and dedication to the Lord that St. Francis’s life showcased.
“Spend time in prayer, pious meditation, and raise prayers to God so that following the example of St. Francis, feelings of Christian charity towards their neighbors and authentic vows of harmony and peace, among all peoples, may spring forth in their hearts, in our hearts,” said Bishop Sweeney, quoting Pope Leo XIV.
Bishop Sweeney will return to St. Francis of Assisi Parish on Oct. 4 for Confirmations and a further celebration of the Jubilee Year of St. Francis.
Click here for a list of Masses and confessions at pilgrimage sites in the Diocese of Paterson for the Year of St. Francis.
BEACON PHOTOS | MATTHEW GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bishop-celebrates-jubilee-year-of-st-francis-with-mass-catholic-dominick-cortellessa-said-it-was-a-moving-experience-he-wasnt-alone-in-that-feeling-as-his-church-honored-its-namesake-on.jpg "Bishop celebrates Jubilee Year of St. Francis with Mass #Catholic – Dominick Cortellessa said it was a moving experience. He wasn’t alone in that feeling as his church honored its namesake on a landmark feast day.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney joined about 10 seminarians and pews filled with pilgrims at St. Francis of Assisi Church in the Haskell neighborhood of Wanaque, N.J., on Aug. 29 to celebrate the Year of St. Francis. They gathered for a Mass to mark 800 years since the Transitus of St. Francis — when he died and went to God.
“It was a very warm, wonderful feeling that God was with us,” said Cortellessa, a 20-year parishioner of St. Francis who is a lector and extraordinary minister of the Eucharist.
The Mass came at a near-center of the Jubilee Year of St. Francis, which Pope Leo XIV declared in a decree on Jan. 10. It honors one of the most well-known saints, one who lived in 11th- and 12th-century Italy. He dedicated his life to under-resourced people, to protecting and promoting God’s creation, and to starting the Franciscan spirituality that has spawned countless religious orders. The late Pope Francis chose his papal name partly because of St. Francis of Assisi, along with St. Francis Xavier.
“My sisters and brothers, thank you for your ‘yes’ for being here today,” Bishop Sweeney said to the pilgrims who came to the Mass that Saturday.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Pope Leo XIV’s decree allows Catholics to receive plenary indulgences if they make a pilgrimage to parishes connected to St. Francis of Assisi. Indulgences offer special pardons from temporal punishment after Catholics experience the Sacrament of Confession.
St. Francis of Assisi in Wanaque is one of five parishes in the diocese that Bishop Sweeney declared on April 29 as locations where people can receive plenary indulgences. The others are St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Butler, N.J., St. Clare Parish in Clifton, N.J., St. John Kanty Parish in the Athenia neighborhood of Clifton, and St. Mary’s Parish in Pompton Lakes, N.J.
“I’m so grateful, Father Greg [Golba, the pastor of St. Francis], for this opportunity. I am grateful the seminarians are here. What a blessing to be here together today to celebrate this Mass in honor of our patron,” Bishop Sweeney said at the Mass at St. Francis.
Bishop Sweeney offered the decree of Pope Leo XIV during his homily, illuminating St. Francis’ life and encouraging those in attendance to mirror his saintly path.
“‘Hold fast to the memory of our father and brother Francis, for the praise and glory of him who made him great among us, and glorified him in the sight of the angels. Pray for him as he once asked us, and pray to him that God may make us sharers with him of his holy grace,’” Bishop Sweeney said, quoting Brother Elias, an early follower of St. Francis, in a letter to the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, which St. Francis started.
Bishop Sweeney also cited the Gospel reading of the day from St. Matthew, relating St. Francis’s simplicity to how Jesus gives wisdom.
“Jesus gives thanks to the Father because he is revealed, not to the wise and the learned but to the simple, the truths of the kingdom of heaven, and perhaps no one better than St. Francis,” Bishop Sweeney said.
After the Mass, Father Golba said, “We were so happy having our bishop. We knew from the beginning that it would be something special for us, because we’re the one parish in the diocese with that title of saint with our patron.”
Father Golba said the Mass was a powerful reminder of St. Francis’ life calling, one he personally encountered on his pilgrimage to experience St. Francis’ life. He saw similarities between his time in St. Francis’ holy places and the Mass the bishop celebrated with him.
“Years ago as a young priest, I went to Assisi. When I was in the Basilica of Saint Francis, it was a similar experience,” he said. “This time, the beating of my heart was stronger, like I was in Assisi.”
Bishop Sweeney urged the pilgrims in attendance to live lives that emulate the compassion and dedication to the Lord that St. Francis’s life showcased.
“Spend time in prayer, pious meditation, and raise prayers to God so that following the example of St. Francis, feelings of Christian charity towards their neighbors and authentic vows of harmony and peace, among all peoples, may spring forth in their hearts, in our hearts,” said Bishop Sweeney, quoting Pope Leo XIV.
Bishop Sweeney will return to St. Francis of Assisi Parish on Oct. 4 for Confirmations and a further celebration of the Jubilee Year of St. Francis.
Click here for a list of Masses and confessions at pilgrimage sites in the Diocese of Paterson for the Year of St. Francis.
BEACON PHOTOS | MATTHEW GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]")
Bishop celebrates Jubilee Year of St. Francis with Mass #Catholic – 
Dominick Cortellessa said it was a moving experience. He wasn’t alone in that feeling as his church honored its namesake on a landmark feast day.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney joined about 10 seminarians and pews filled with pilgrims at St. Francis of Assisi Church in the Haskell neighborhood of Wanaque, N.J., on Aug. 29 to celebrate the Year of St. Francis. They gathered for a Mass to mark 800 years since the Transitus of St. Francis — when he died and went to God.
“It was a very warm, wonderful feeling that God was with us,” said Cortellessa, a 20-year parishioner of St. Francis who is a lector and extraordinary minister of the Eucharist.
The Mass came at a near-center of the Jubilee Year of St. Francis, which Pope Leo XIV declared in a decree on Jan. 10. It honors one of the most well-known saints, one who lived in 11th- and 12th-century Italy. He dedicated his life to under-resourced people, to protecting and promoting God’s creation, and to starting the Franciscan spirituality that has spawned countless religious orders. The late Pope Francis chose his papal name partly because of St. Francis of Assisi, along with St. Francis Xavier.
“My sisters and brothers, thank you for your ‘yes’ for being here today,” Bishop Sweeney said to the pilgrims who came to the Mass that Saturday.
Pope Leo XIV’s decree allows Catholics to receive plenary indulgences if they make a pilgrimage to parishes connected to St. Francis of Assisi. Indulgences offer special pardons from temporal punishment after Catholics experience the Sacrament of Confession.
St. Francis of Assisi in Wanaque is one of five parishes in the diocese that Bishop Sweeney declared on April 29 as locations where people can receive plenary indulgences. The others are St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Butler, N.J., St. Clare Parish in Clifton, N.J., St. John Kanty Parish in the Athenia neighborhood of Clifton, and St. Mary’s Parish in Pompton Lakes, N.J.
“I’m so grateful, Father Greg [Golba, the pastor of St. Francis], for this opportunity. I am grateful the seminarians are here. What a blessing to be here together today to celebrate this Mass in honor of our patron,” Bishop Sweeney said at the Mass at St. Francis.
Bishop Sweeney offered the decree of Pope Leo XIV during his homily, illuminating St. Francis’ life and encouraging those in attendance to mirror his saintly path.
“‘Hold fast to the memory of our father and brother Francis, for the praise and glory of him who made him great among us, and glorified him in the sight of the angels. Pray for him as he once asked us, and pray to him that God may make us sharers with him of his holy grace,’” Bishop Sweeney said, quoting Brother Elias, an early follower of St. Francis, in a letter to the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, which St. Francis started.
Bishop Sweeney also cited the Gospel reading of the day from St. Matthew, relating St. Francis’s simplicity to how Jesus gives wisdom.
“Jesus gives thanks to the Father because he is revealed, not to the wise and the learned but to the simple, the truths of the kingdom of heaven, and perhaps no one better than St. Francis,” Bishop Sweeney said.
After the Mass, Father Golba said, “We were so happy having our bishop. We knew from the beginning that it would be something special for us, because we’re the one parish in the diocese with that title of saint with our patron.”
Father Golba said the Mass was a powerful reminder of St. Francis’ life calling, one he personally encountered on his pilgrimage to experience St. Francis’ life. He saw similarities between his time in St. Francis’ holy places and the Mass the bishop celebrated with him.
“Years ago as a young priest, I went to Assisi. When I was in the Basilica of Saint Francis, it was a similar experience,” he said. “This time, the beating of my heart was stronger, like I was in Assisi.”
Bishop Sweeney urged the pilgrims in attendance to live lives that emulate the compassion and dedication to the Lord that St. Francis’s life showcased.
“Spend time in prayer, pious meditation, and raise prayers to God so that following the example of St. Francis, feelings of Christian charity towards their neighbors and authentic vows of harmony and peace, among all peoples, may spring forth in their hearts, in our hearts,” said Bishop Sweeney, quoting Pope Leo XIV.
Bishop Sweeney will return to St. Francis of Assisi Parish on Oct. 4 for Confirmations and a further celebration of the Jubilee Year of St. Francis.
Click here for a list of Masses and confessions at pilgrimage sites in the Diocese of Paterson for the Year of St. Francis.
– Dominick Cortellessa said it was a moving experience. He wasn’t alone in that feeling as his church honored its namesake on a landmark feast day. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney joined about 10 seminarians and pews filled with pilgrims at St. Francis of Assisi Church in the Haskell neighborhood of Wanaque, N.J., on Aug. 29 to celebrate the Year of St. Francis. They gathered for a Mass to mark 800 years since the Transitus of St. Francis — when he died and went to God. “It was a very warm, wonderful feeling that God was with us,” said Cortellessa, a 20-year
![Paterson parish remembers ministry of beloved late pastor #Catholic – On the evening of Aug. 27, faithful from St. Stephen Parish in Paterson, N.J., and beyond remembered the life and ministry of Father Rafael A. Ciro, beloved former pastor of St. Stephen’s, on the first anniversary of his death, during a Memorial Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney.
On Aug. 27, 2025, Father Ciro died by suicide, leaving his family, friends, and faithful around the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and beyond shocked and heartbroken, especially in the Hispanic community he served. He was 45.
Father Diego F. Monsalve, administrator of St. Stephen’s, joined many priests, including some of Father Ciro’s friends, in concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Sweeney.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
The Colombian-born Father Ciro was ordained to the diocesan priesthood on May 25, 2013, at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., by Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli.
Following his ordination, Father Ciro served the parish communities of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., St. Mary’s Assumption Parish in Passaic, N.J., St. Nicholas Parish, also in Passaic, and Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary Parish in Dover, N.J., before being appointed pastor of St. Stephen in Paterson, where he served at the time of his passing.
Father Ciro was born on Oct. 29, 1979, in Colombia to the late Rafael Angel Ciro-Rios and Aura Elena Guarín. He completed philosophy studies for the priesthood in Colombia. He continued his theological studies at Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico City (2007–2009), the former Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn. (2011–2012), and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. (2012–2013).
Before joining the Paterson Diocese as a seminarian in January 2011, Father Ciro dedicated nearly three years to missionary work in Medellín and another three years in Mexico City, serving in some of the most impoverished communities. He also ministered to Hispanic migrants in Alabama and New Jersey.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/paterson-parish-remembers-ministry-of-beloved-late-pastor-catholic-on-the-evening-of-aug-27-faithful-from-st-stephen-parish-in-paterson-n-j-and-beyond-remembered-the-life-and-ministry-of-fath.jpg "Paterson parish remembers ministry of beloved late pastor #Catholic – On the evening of Aug. 27, faithful from St. Stephen Parish in Paterson, N.J., and beyond remembered the life and ministry of Father Rafael A. Ciro, beloved former pastor of St. Stephen’s, on the first anniversary of his death, during a Memorial Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney.
On Aug. 27, 2025, Father Ciro died by suicide, leaving his family, friends, and faithful around the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and beyond shocked and heartbroken, especially in the Hispanic community he served. He was 45.
Father Diego F. Monsalve, administrator of St. Stephen’s, joined many priests, including some of Father Ciro’s friends, in concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Sweeney.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
The Colombian-born Father Ciro was ordained to the diocesan priesthood on May 25, 2013, at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., by Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli.
Following his ordination, Father Ciro served the parish communities of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., St. Mary’s Assumption Parish in Passaic, N.J., St. Nicholas Parish, also in Passaic, and Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary Parish in Dover, N.J., before being appointed pastor of St. Stephen in Paterson, where he served at the time of his passing.
Father Ciro was born on Oct. 29, 1979, in Colombia to the late Rafael Angel Ciro-Rios and Aura Elena Guarín. He completed philosophy studies for the priesthood in Colombia. He continued his theological studies at Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico City (2007–2009), the former Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn. (2011–2012), and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. (2012–2013).
Before joining the Paterson Diocese as a seminarian in January 2011, Father Ciro dedicated nearly three years to missionary work in Medellín and another three years in Mexico City, serving in some of the most impoverished communities. He also ministered to Hispanic migrants in Alabama and New Jersey.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]")
Paterson parish remembers ministry of beloved late pastor #Catholic – 
On the evening of Aug. 27, faithful from St. Stephen Parish in Paterson, N.J., and beyond remembered the life and ministry of Father Rafael A. Ciro, beloved former pastor of St. Stephen’s, on the first anniversary of his death, during a Memorial Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney.
On Aug. 27, 2025, Father Ciro died by suicide, leaving his family, friends, and faithful around the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and beyond shocked and heartbroken, especially in the Hispanic community he served. He was 45.
Father Diego F. Monsalve, administrator of St. Stephen’s, joined many priests, including some of Father Ciro’s friends, in concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Sweeney.
The Colombian-born Father Ciro was ordained to the diocesan priesthood on May 25, 2013, at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton, N.J., by Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli.
Following his ordination, Father Ciro served the parish communities of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., St. Mary’s Assumption Parish in Passaic, N.J., St. Nicholas Parish, also in Passaic, and Sacred Heart and Holy Rosary Parish in Dover, N.J., before being appointed pastor of St. Stephen in Paterson, where he served at the time of his passing.
Father Ciro was born on Oct. 29, 1979, in Colombia to the late Rafael Angel Ciro-Rios and Aura Elena Guarín. He completed philosophy studies for the priesthood in Colombia. He continued his theological studies at Universidad Intercontinental in Mexico City (2007–2009), the former Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn. (2011–2012), and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. (2012–2013).
Before joining the Paterson Diocese as a seminarian in January 2011, Father Ciro dedicated nearly three years to missionary work in Medellín and another three years in Mexico City, serving in some of the most impoverished communities. He also ministered to Hispanic migrants in Alabama and New Jersey.
– On the evening of Aug. 27, faithful from St. Stephen Parish in Paterson, N.J., and beyond remembered the life and ministry of Father Rafael A. Ciro, beloved former pastor of St. Stephen’s, on the first anniversary of his death, during a Memorial Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. On Aug. 27, 2025, Father Ciro died by suicide, leaving his family, friends, and faithful around the Paterson Diocese, N.J., and beyond shocked and heartbroken, especially in the Hispanic community he served. He was 45. Father Diego F. Monsalve, administrator of St. Stephen’s, joined many priests, including some of Father Ciro’s
Why does the daily moonrise time change by as much as 60 minutes from the previous day, and as little as 30 minutes during the same month? Jim WakefieldBend, Oregon It depends on how far the Moon dips below the horizon from one day to the next. Our satellite moves, on average, 13.2° per dayContinue reading “Why doesn’t the moonrise time change by the same amount of time each day?”
The post Why doesn’t the moonrise time change by the same amount of time each day? appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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Sept. 26 Mass to honor first two Filipino saints #Catholic – 
Filipino Catholics from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will gather for the annual Filipino Saints Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Church in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., beginning with Mass at 11 a.m. The event honors San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila and San Pedro Calungsod de Cebu, the first Filipino saints.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will celebrate the Mass, which will be concelebrated by the diocese’s Filipino priests, including Father Vidal Gonzales, pastor of Notre Dame and diocesan consultant/adviser for the Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM). The Mass will be followed by a Filipino fellowship.
For more than 15 years, the DCCFM has celebrated the Filipino Saints Celebration, one of the major annual gatherings of the diocesan Filipino Catholic community, in September.
For many years, the celebration was traditionally held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. When Deacon Elmer Maximo became president of the DCCFM, the commission began bringing the celebration to different parishes throughout the diocese, particularly those with a strong and active Filipino Catholic presence. This has allowed more parish communities to participate while highlighting the Filipino community’s important contribution to the life and mission of the local Church.
Adding to the beauty and cultural character of the celebration, participants are encouraged to come in traditional Filipino attire — the Barong Tagalog for men and the Baro’t Saya for women. These traditional garments are a visible expression of the Filipino heritage and remind Filipinos that their culture and Catholic faith are gifts they joyfully share with the wider Church.
The fellowship reflects the joyful Filipino tradition of a fiesta, where faith, family, friendship, and hospitality come together. We will share a variety of traditional Filipino dishes.
Traditionally, the celebration is also supported by a Hermana and/or Hermano, individuals or families who generously sponsor and assist with the celebration. Their generosity reflects the Filipino spirit of paglilingkod and bayanihan —serving God and the community together with joyful and grateful hearts.
More than a cultural gathering, the Filipino Saints Celebration is an opportunity to give thanks to God for the gift of the participants’ Filipino Catholic heritage and to be inspired by the courageous witness of San Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod. Through their example, Filipino Catholics are reminded that holiness is possible in every generation and that, wherever Filipinos may be, we are called to remain faithful witnesses of Christ and His Church.
– Filipino Catholics from the Paterson Diocese, N.J., will gather for the annual Filipino Saints Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Church in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township, N.J., beginning with Mass at 11 a.m. The event honors San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila and San Pedro Calungsod de Cebu, the first Filipino saints. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney will celebrate the Mass, which will be concelebrated by the diocese’s Filipino priests, including Father Vidal Gonzales, pastor of Notre Dame and diocesan consultant/adviser for the Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM). The Mass will be
Beyond The Beacon podcast 117: How serving in Alaska transformed Father Kamil’s life #Catholic – 
Father Kamil Kiszka likened serving in Alaska to a priceless two-year retreat, during which he came away more peaceful and balanced. Father Kiszka returns to the podcast to talk about this unique full-time missionary experience in the Land of the Midnight Sun and what might be next for him. The conversation is moved along by Father Kiszka’s collection of photographs from Alaska. (Watch the video version of the podcast to see the photographs.)
Host Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reflects on our call to be missionary disciples wherever we are.
Bishop Sweeney also reflects on the life of Father Rafael Ciro, who took his life one year ago, and a Memorial Mass scheduled the day this episode was recorded. He also mentions the feast days of St. Monica (Aug. 27) and her son St. Augustine (Aug. 28).
Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.
– Father Kamil Kiszka likened serving in Alaska to a priceless two-year retreat, during which he came away more peaceful and balanced. Father Kiszka returns to the podcast to talk about this unique full-time missionary experience in the Land of the Midnight Sun and what might be next for him. The conversation is moved along by Father Kiszka’s collection of photographs from Alaska. (Watch the video version of the podcast to see the photographs.) Host Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reflects on our call to be missionary disciples wherever we are. Bishop Sweeney also reflects on the life of Father Rafael Ciro, who took
![Beyond The Beacon podcast 116: Breaking down myths and what seminary life is really like #Catholic –
Are you discerning the priesthood? Or want to learn more about what seminary life is all about? Four current seminarians for the Diocese of Paterson join the podcast to share their experience inside and outside the classroom. Joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish are seminarians Michael Kane, Brian Collins, Eric Hasenbein, and Sean Gallagher. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Office of Vocations as part of Seminarian Media Day and was recorded at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J.
Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/beyond-the-beacon-podcast-116-breaking-down-myths-and-what-seminary-life-is-really-like-catholic-are-you-discerning-the-priesthood-or-want-to-learn-more-about-what-seminary-life-is-all-about-f.jpg "Beyond The Beacon podcast 116: Breaking down myths and what seminary life is really like #Catholic –
Are you discerning the priesthood? Or want to learn more about what seminary life is all about? Four current seminarians for the Diocese of Paterson join the podcast to share their experience inside and outside the classroom. Joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish are seminarians Michael Kane, Brian Collins, Eric Hasenbein, and Sean Gallagher. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Office of Vocations as part of Seminarian Media Day and was recorded at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J.
Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter."){kind=tracking}
Beyond The Beacon podcast 116: Breaking down myths and what seminary life is really like #Catholic – 
Are you discerning the priesthood? Or want to learn more about what seminary life is all about? Four current seminarians for the Diocese of Paterson join the podcast to share their experience inside and outside the classroom. Joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish are seminarians Michael Kane, Brian Collins, Eric Hasenbein, and Sean Gallagher. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Office of Vocations as part of Seminarian Media Day and was recorded at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J.
Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch it on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel.
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]
– Are you discerning the priesthood? Or want to learn more about what seminary life is all about? Four current seminarians for the Diocese of Paterson join the podcast to share their experience inside and outside the classroom. Joining Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish are seminarians Michael Kane, Brian Collins, Eric Hasenbein, and Sean Gallagher. This episode was produced in collaboration with the Office of Vocations as part of Seminarian Media Day and was recorded at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. Listen to the episode here, or on any major podcast platform, or watch
![Seminarians highlight faith and calling during first Media Day #Catholic – On a recent podcast, Brian Collins, 24, a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., demystified life in the seminary while studying for the priesthood.
“We spend lots of time studying the faith and praying individually and together, but we also have friends inside and outside the seminary, play video games and watch movies like regular young men,” said Collins, ready to start first-year philosophy studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J.
On Aug. 14 afternoon, Collins and Michael Kane, another diocesan seminarian, appeared on a special remote episode of Beyond the Beacon, a podcast co-hosted by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. They talked about priestly vocations and the seminary with Jai Agnish, the podcast’s co-host and diocesan communications director, at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. The episode was part of the diocese’s inaugural Seminarian Media Day event.
St. Paul’s was a beehive of activity for the Media Day. The event gave the 12 diocesan seminarians there the opportunity, with great wit and charm, to share their engaging stories about how God called them to the priesthood, their faith journeys so far, interests, and their lives in the seminary.
This content will be posted in the coming months on digital platforms where young people consume information, such as podcasts, social media, and print news, to help make them aware of the possibility of a priestly vocation. In September, the diocesan Vocations Office will launch an Instagram account dedicated to vocations, which will use much of this lively material.
“For Media Day, it was good to hear the voices from the faces of seminarians on vocations posters. Maybe our stories will encourage other men to enter the seminary,” Collins said. The podcast also included interviews with seminarians Eric Hasenbein and Sean Gallagher.
The Media Day was a collaboration by the diocesan Vocations Office, the Communications Office, and St. Paul Inside the Walls, the diocesan evangelization center. The event also highlighted the seminarians’ varied ages, backgrounds, and personalities.
“In today’s world, many young people exploring a vocation will first look online for information and inspiration,” said Father Charles Lana, diocesan vocations director. “We want to engage people where they are and provide them with resources that can help them hear and respond to God’s call. One of the best ways we can promote vocations is by featuring our seminarians, who are living witnesses to what it means to answer God’s call,” he said.
Before co-hosting the podcast, Bishop Sweeney joined the seminarians for Mass in St. Paul’s chapel. Among the congregants were Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor, and diocesan staff who work at the center.
“Let the lives of the saints inspire us —from bishops and religious sisters to those living the vocation of marriage, parents, grandparents, and those living the single life. We’re all sharing baptismal vocations that baptismal call to holiness,” Bishop Sweeney said in his Mass introduction.
The men featured in the digital content range from the start of seminary studies, called the propaedeutic year, to the diaconal year — the final step before being ordained a priest. In the afternoon, they each participated in one of three “content stations”: appearing on the podcast, making a short video, or sitting for an interview for a print news story.
“The seminarians’ participation is also helping them become agents of the New Evangelization. Future priests need to be able to communicate the truths of the faith not only from the pulpit, but also through the modern means of communication that people use every day,” Father Lana said. “Media Day is one small step toward helping our seminarians grow in confidence as public leaders, communicators, and messengers of the Gospel,” he said.
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With her cellphone, Cecile Pagliarulo, digital media specialist and a co-host of Beyond the Beacon, captured stories and insight from seminarians Jean- Baptiste Mollet, John Peter Zappe, David Marin, and Brian Reilly in English and Deacon Carlos Vargas in Spanish.
Pagliarulo asked the seminarians specific questions that will be used in several videos on vocations- or priest-themed observances, such as Priesthood Sunday, National Vocations Awareness Week, and World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
“I enjoyed meeting each of the seminarians — young men committed to learning and studying about the priesthood in hopes that they will become priests for future generations of Catholics. A common theme in asking them about vocations was that we are all called to holiness,” Pagliarulo said.
Meanwhile, Michael Wojcik, managing editor of BeaconNJ.org, camped out in a classroom at the center to interview seminarians James Burke and Mark Tosso about their vocation stories in English. In another classroom, Yoel Gonzalez, a Spanish-language writer for BeaconNJ.org, interviewed seminarian Jairo Jaramillo in Spanish.
Mary Drasheff, communications coordinator at St. Paul Inside the Walls, and Joseph Ginexi, digital media specialist at St. Paul Inside the Walls, also participated in Media Day, conducting video interviews with seminarians and assisting with setting up the podcast space.
“The Media Day was upbeat. It gave us seminarians a sense of brotherhood, encouraging one another, before we go back to school. There was great care and guidance, especially from more experienced seminarians, priests and Bishop Sweeney,” Tosso said.
Then, each seminarian posed for portraits outside on St. Paul’s front porch, taken by Joe Gigli, a freelance photographer for the diocese. Then the men continued the fellowship they started at lunch.
Catalina Zempoalteca, Vocations Office coordinator, organized the Media Day with Father Lana and the other collaborating offices in the diocese. She called the first-ever Media Day “a success.”
“All our 12 seminarians have unique and beautiful vocation stories that should be shared for other men to know that God is capable of moving in their lives towards the vocation that he is calling them to live out. In our case, we hope these stories inspire more men to discern the priesthood,” Zempoalteca said. “The journey of discerning one’s vocation is a love story unraveled by God. I’m blessed to witness this working in the Vocations Office and in helping it be shared through the content created on Media Day,” she said.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI & JESSICA MARTINEZ
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/seminarians-highlight-faith-and-calling-during-first-media-day-catholic-on-a-recent-podcast-brian-collins-24-a-seminarian-of-the-paterson-diocese-n-j-demystified-life-in-the-seminary-while-st.jpg "Seminarians highlight faith and calling during first Media Day #Catholic – On a recent podcast, Brian Collins, 24, a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., demystified life in the seminary while studying for the priesthood.
“We spend lots of time studying the faith and praying individually and together, but we also have friends inside and outside the seminary, play video games and watch movies like regular young men,” said Collins, ready to start first-year philosophy studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J.
On Aug. 14 afternoon, Collins and Michael Kane, another diocesan seminarian, appeared on a special remote episode of Beyond the Beacon, a podcast co-hosted by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. They talked about priestly vocations and the seminary with Jai Agnish, the podcast’s co-host and diocesan communications director, at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. The episode was part of the diocese’s inaugural Seminarian Media Day event.
St. Paul’s was a beehive of activity for the Media Day. The event gave the 12 diocesan seminarians there the opportunity, with great wit and charm, to share their engaging stories about how God called them to the priesthood, their faith journeys so far, interests, and their lives in the seminary.
This content will be posted in the coming months on digital platforms where young people consume information, such as podcasts, social media, and print news, to help make them aware of the possibility of a priestly vocation. In September, the diocesan Vocations Office will launch an Instagram account dedicated to vocations, which will use much of this lively material.
“For Media Day, it was good to hear the voices from the faces of seminarians on vocations posters. Maybe our stories will encourage other men to enter the seminary,” Collins said. The podcast also included interviews with seminarians Eric Hasenbein and Sean Gallagher.
The Media Day was a collaboration by the diocesan Vocations Office, the Communications Office, and St. Paul Inside the Walls, the diocesan evangelization center. The event also highlighted the seminarians’ varied ages, backgrounds, and personalities.
“In today’s world, many young people exploring a vocation will first look online for information and inspiration,” said Father Charles Lana, diocesan vocations director. “We want to engage people where they are and provide them with resources that can help them hear and respond to God’s call. One of the best ways we can promote vocations is by featuring our seminarians, who are living witnesses to what it means to answer God’s call,” he said.
Before co-hosting the podcast, Bishop Sweeney joined the seminarians for Mass in St. Paul’s chapel. Among the congregants were Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor, and diocesan staff who work at the center.
“Let the lives of the saints inspire us —from bishops and religious sisters to those living the vocation of marriage, parents, grandparents, and those living the single life. We’re all sharing baptismal vocations that baptismal call to holiness,” Bishop Sweeney said in his Mass introduction.
The men featured in the digital content range from the start of seminary studies, called the propaedeutic year, to the diaconal year — the final step before being ordained a priest. In the afternoon, they each participated in one of three “content stations”: appearing on the podcast, making a short video, or sitting for an interview for a print news story.
“The seminarians’ participation is also helping them become agents of the New Evangelization. Future priests need to be able to communicate the truths of the faith not only from the pulpit, but also through the modern means of communication that people use every day,” Father Lana said. “Media Day is one small step toward helping our seminarians grow in confidence as public leaders, communicators, and messengers of the Gospel,” he said.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
With her cellphone, Cecile Pagliarulo, digital media specialist and a co-host of Beyond the Beacon, captured stories and insight from seminarians Jean- Baptiste Mollet, John Peter Zappe, David Marin, and Brian Reilly in English and Deacon Carlos Vargas in Spanish.
Pagliarulo asked the seminarians specific questions that will be used in several videos on vocations- or priest-themed observances, such as Priesthood Sunday, National Vocations Awareness Week, and World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
“I enjoyed meeting each of the seminarians — young men committed to learning and studying about the priesthood in hopes that they will become priests for future generations of Catholics. A common theme in asking them about vocations was that we are all called to holiness,” Pagliarulo said.
Meanwhile, Michael Wojcik, managing editor of BeaconNJ.org, camped out in a classroom at the center to interview seminarians James Burke and Mark Tosso about their vocation stories in English. In another classroom, Yoel Gonzalez, a Spanish-language writer for BeaconNJ.org, interviewed seminarian Jairo Jaramillo in Spanish.
Mary Drasheff, communications coordinator at St. Paul Inside the Walls, and Joseph Ginexi, digital media specialist at St. Paul Inside the Walls, also participated in Media Day, conducting video interviews with seminarians and assisting with setting up the podcast space.
“The Media Day was upbeat. It gave us seminarians a sense of brotherhood, encouraging one another, before we go back to school. There was great care and guidance, especially from more experienced seminarians, priests and Bishop Sweeney,” Tosso said.
Then, each seminarian posed for portraits outside on St. Paul’s front porch, taken by Joe Gigli, a freelance photographer for the diocese. Then the men continued the fellowship they started at lunch.
Catalina Zempoalteca, Vocations Office coordinator, organized the Media Day with Father Lana and the other collaborating offices in the diocese. She called the first-ever Media Day “a success.”
“All our 12 seminarians have unique and beautiful vocation stories that should be shared for other men to know that God is capable of moving in their lives towards the vocation that he is calling them to live out. In our case, we hope these stories inspire more men to discern the priesthood,” Zempoalteca said. “The journey of discerning one’s vocation is a love story unraveled by God. I’m blessed to witness this working in the Vocations Office and in helping it be shared through the content created on Media Day,” she said.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI & JESSICA MARTINEZ
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]")
Seminarians highlight faith and calling during first Media Day #Catholic – 
On a recent podcast, Brian Collins, 24, a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., demystified life in the seminary while studying for the priesthood.
“We spend lots of time studying the faith and praying individually and together, but we also have friends inside and outside the seminary, play video games and watch movies like regular young men,” said Collins, ready to start first-year philosophy studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J.
On Aug. 14 afternoon, Collins and Michael Kane, another diocesan seminarian, appeared on a special remote episode of Beyond the Beacon, a podcast co-hosted by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. They talked about priestly vocations and the seminary with Jai Agnish, the podcast’s co-host and diocesan communications director, at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, N.J. The episode was part of the diocese’s inaugural Seminarian Media Day event.
St. Paul’s was a beehive of activity for the Media Day. The event gave the 12 diocesan seminarians there the opportunity, with great wit and charm, to share their engaging stories about how God called them to the priesthood, their faith journeys so far, interests, and their lives in the seminary.
This content will be posted in the coming months on digital platforms where young people consume information, such as podcasts, social media, and print news, to help make them aware of the possibility of a priestly vocation. In September, the diocesan Vocations Office will launch an Instagram account dedicated to vocations, which will use much of this lively material.
“For Media Day, it was good to hear the voices from the faces of seminarians on vocations posters. Maybe our stories will encourage other men to enter the seminary,” Collins said. The podcast also included interviews with seminarians Eric Hasenbein and Sean Gallagher.
The Media Day was a collaboration by the diocesan Vocations Office, the Communications Office, and St. Paul Inside the Walls, the diocesan evangelization center. The event also highlighted the seminarians’ varied ages, backgrounds, and personalities.
“In today’s world, many young people exploring a vocation will first look online for information and inspiration,” said Father Charles Lana, diocesan vocations director. “We want to engage people where they are and provide them with resources that can help them hear and respond to God’s call. One of the best ways we can promote vocations is by featuring our seminarians, who are living witnesses to what it means to answer God’s call,” he said.
Before co-hosting the podcast, Bishop Sweeney joined the seminarians for Mass in St. Paul’s chapel. Among the congregants were Salesian Sister Theresa Lee, diocesan chancellor, and diocesan staff who work at the center.
“Let the lives of the saints inspire us —from bishops and religious sisters to those living the vocation of marriage, parents, grandparents, and those living the single life. We’re all sharing baptismal vocations that baptismal call to holiness,” Bishop Sweeney said in his Mass introduction.
The men featured in the digital content range from the start of seminary studies, called the propaedeutic year, to the diaconal year — the final step before being ordained a priest. In the afternoon, they each participated in one of three “content stations”: appearing on the podcast, making a short video, or sitting for an interview for a print news story.
“The seminarians’ participation is also helping them become agents of the New Evangelization. Future priests need to be able to communicate the truths of the faith not only from the pulpit, but also through the modern means of communication that people use every day,” Father Lana said. “Media Day is one small step toward helping our seminarians grow in confidence as public leaders, communicators, and messengers of the Gospel,” he said.
With her cellphone, Cecile Pagliarulo, digital media specialist and a co-host of Beyond the Beacon, captured stories and insight from seminarians Jean- Baptiste Mollet, John Peter Zappe, David Marin, and Brian Reilly in English and Deacon Carlos Vargas in Spanish.
Pagliarulo asked the seminarians specific questions that will be used in several videos on vocations- or priest-themed observances, such as Priesthood Sunday, National Vocations Awareness Week, and World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
“I enjoyed meeting each of the seminarians — young men committed to learning and studying about the priesthood in hopes that they will become priests for future generations of Catholics. A common theme in asking them about vocations was that we are all called to holiness,” Pagliarulo said.
Meanwhile, Michael Wojcik, managing editor of BeaconNJ.org, camped out in a classroom at the center to interview seminarians James Burke and Mark Tosso about their vocation stories in English. In another classroom, Yoel Gonzalez, a Spanish-language writer for BeaconNJ.org, interviewed seminarian Jairo Jaramillo in Spanish.
Mary Drasheff, communications coordinator at St. Paul Inside the Walls, and Joseph Ginexi, digital media specialist at St. Paul Inside the Walls, also participated in Media Day, conducting video interviews with seminarians and assisting with setting up the podcast space.
“The Media Day was upbeat. It gave us seminarians a sense of brotherhood, encouraging one another, before we go back to school. There was great care and guidance, especially from more experienced seminarians, priests and Bishop Sweeney,” Tosso said.
Then, each seminarian posed for portraits outside on St. Paul’s front porch, taken by Joe Gigli, a freelance photographer for the diocese. Then the men continued the fellowship they started at lunch.
Catalina Zempoalteca, Vocations Office coordinator, organized the Media Day with Father Lana and the other collaborating offices in the diocese. She called the first-ever Media Day “a success.”
“All our 12 seminarians have unique and beautiful vocation stories that should be shared for other men to know that God is capable of moving in their lives towards the vocation that he is calling them to live out. In our case, we hope these stories inspire more men to discern the priesthood,” Zempoalteca said. “The journey of discerning one’s vocation is a love story unraveled by God. I’m blessed to witness this working in the Vocations Office and in helping it be shared through the content created on Media Day,” she said.
– On a recent podcast, Brian Collins, 24, a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese, N.J., demystified life in the seminary while studying for the priesthood. “We spend lots of time studying the faith and praying individually and together, but we also have friends inside and outside the seminary, play video games and watch movies like regular young men,” said Collins, ready to start first-year philosophy studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, N.J. On Aug. 14 afternoon, Collins and Michael Kane, another diocesan seminarian, appeared on a special remote episode of Beyond the Beacon, a podcast co-hosted by Bishop Kevin
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