On March 27, 2020, at an early point in the global pandemic, Pope Francis walked alone in the rain across an empty St. Peter’s Square to offer prayer for the world in a time of crisis. “Faith,” he said, “begins when we realize we are in need of salvation. We are not self-sufficient; by ourselves we founder: we need the Lord, like ancient navigators needed the stars.” Recalling when Jesus was asleep in the boat as a tempest was raging (Mk 4:35–41), the Holy Father said, “The Lord awakens so as to reawaken and revive our Easter faith.” On that day, Pope Francis presided over the rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction in order to focus our attention on the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The Pope was reminding us that even in a time of turbulence and crisis, Jesus is present among us, as present as he was long ago in the boat on the Sea of Galilee.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Mass marking the Feast of Epiphany (The Three Kings) at St. Joseph Church in Newton Jan. 2 with the Spanish-speaking community. Each week Mass is celebrated in Spanish at 2:30 p.m. in the Church to serve the Hispanic population in the Sparta-Andover-Newton area of Sussex County.

Marking the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was main celebrant of a vigil Mass at St. Therese Church in Paterson Dec. 31.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact communities across the Diocese, Catholic Charities has constantly been on the front lines to serve those most in need. Since the pandemic began in March 2020, all three departments of Catholic Charities — Catholic Family and Community Services (CFCS), Department for Persons with Disabilities (DPD), and Straight and Narrow (SN) — have remained in operation.

On an afternoon in mid-December, Christopher Caulfield and his wife, Ashley, were baking dozens of cookies — chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, and snickerdoodle. Together, they had enjoyed it but were mindful of their tight deadline: to bake and package these sweet treats in five days to be given to homeless people in Morristown so they had a taste of love, friendship, hope, and some holiday cheer at Christmastime.

On New Year’s Day, Pope Francis encouraged people to place their lives under the protection of Mary, the Mother of God. “The new year begins under the sign of the Holy Mother of God, under the sign of the Mother. A mother’s gaze is the path to rebirth and growth. We need mothers, women who look at the world not to exploit it, but so that it can have life,” Pope Francis said in St. Peter’s Basilica on Jan. 1.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (ISCCB) reacted quickly to the U.S. Food and Drug Adminis­tration (FDA) announcement that it would permanently lift its requirement that the prescription for the abortion drug mifepristone had to be picked up in person. This now allows clinics, medical offices, and hospitals to prescribe the drug via telemedicine and send it directly to the patient by mail or through a mail-order pharmacy.