In July, after a two-year pandemic hiatus, 24 teens and adult volunteers departed from St. Vincent de Paul Parish for a one-week service project in Appalachia. Their destination: Terra Alta, West Virginia. Their mission: to serve those in need. Over the next week, this intrepid group replaced and repaired roofs, rebuilt stairs, power-washed and painted houses, built a portico, and brought joy to the families they assisted.

During a Mass at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta last week, Father Walter E. Jenkins, C.S.C, EdD, was officially installed as president of the Catholic Academy of Sussex County by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. Father Jenkins publicly made a profession of faith and oath of fidelity, professing his belief in Catholic teachings and to fully cooperate with Bishop Sweeney.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney led a Rosary Rally for Our Nation on Sunday, Oct. 9, starting at 3 p.m. at the Evangelization Center at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison. The event was Sponsored by the N.J. Area Order of Malta and was was part of a national and international event to pray for peace for our country and the world.

On Oct. 6, the Rosary Altar Society of Our Lady of Good Counsel in the Pompton Plains section of Pequan­nock Township held a candlelight rosary procession led by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. The mission of the Rosary Altar Society is to honor and promote devotion to the Blessed Mother through the recitation of the rosary and works of charity to help the faithful grow in their love of the Lord and the Blessed Mother.

Since its inception in 1954, Straight & Narrow (S&N), the substance-abuse treatment program of diocesan Catholic Charities, has helped save — and rebuild and strengthen — the lives of well over 60,000 people addicted to drugs or alcohol — and their families. With its main headquarters in downtown Paterson, S&N is the largest and oldest rehabilitation facility of its kind in New Jersey, helping people addicted or living with HIV/AIDS.

This time of year, people in various places may notice something odd. A procession of animals, everything from dogs and cats to hamsters and even horses, is led to churches for a special ceremony called the Blessing of Pets. This custom is conducted in remembrance of Saint Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures. Francis, whose feast day is October 4, loved the larks flying about his hilltop town. He and his early brothers, staying in a small hovel, allowed themselves to be displaced by a donkey. Francis wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to God’s living things. “All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures.”

At the recent Convocation for the priests of our diocese, I shared with our priests my belief that amongst many “pastoral priorities,” as disciples, as the Church, it must be a priority to witness and work to promote the dignity and value of every human life, from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. In speaking with our priests, I shared some personal experiences and the ways in which the “Pro-Life Movement” has had an impact on my own life and vocation.

Filipino Catholics of the Diocese gathered with pride, joy, and gratitude to celebrate two martyrs of their homeland — St. Lorenzo Ruiz and St. Pedro Calungsod — during a Mass on Oct. 1 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant of the Mass, which was concelebrated by Filipino clergy and guest priests.

At the seventh annual Red Mass on Oct. 2, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney presented the diocesan Advocati Christi Award to Richard J. Williams, Jr., a civil trial attorney, for his dedication to his Catholic faith, his family, and the legal profession. The Mass took place at 11 a.m. at the Evangelization Center of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison.

The community of Morris Catholic High School in Denville welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney who presided over the Mass of the Holy Spirit on Sept. 20 for the opening of the school year.

Chris Brancato, development director of Catholic Charities, has been with the non-profit for almost 20 years in various roles, and he speaks with great joy regarding this year’s Caritas Gala 2022. “Other organizations like ours have been gathering again, and it’s time to gather people together again and celebrate our work and highlight our ministry,” Brancato said. The Caritas Gala 2022 will be held on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Meadow Wood Manor on Route 10 in Randolph.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated a school Mass at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Clifton with students and staff of St. Philip Preparatory School on Sept. 30. Afterward, he visited the school.

Double the fleece, double the warmth. Emma Potian, a seventh-grader at Assumption School in Morristown, used that rule of thumb when putting together blankets for the homeless on Sept. 27 with 150 area Catholic school students. It was part of a service day in Convent Station sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth. Potian tied two large pieces of fleece back to back to make a thicker, warmer blanket to prepare the homeless for the coming winter.

Diocesan Catholic Charities continues to “provide help and create hope” for more people than ever in its 80-year history. The widespread ministry operates vital programs throughout Passaic, Morris, and Sussex counties. It supports women and men in recovery, individuals and families in crisis, children of all ages, people who are food insecure, veterans, senior citizens, and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Last week more than 100 active and retired priests of the Diocese of Paterson gathered in Spring Lake, N.J., for a three-day Convocation for Priests, which occurs every three years. The theme for reflection was “The Eucharistic Heart of the Priest.”

It was just about a year ago when we learned that Archbishop Rino Fisichella would be available to lead our Diocesan Eucharistic Congress on the weekend of Sept. 23 to 25. When we looked at the Diocesan calendar, we realized that having the Eucharistic Congress on that weekend would mean it would be immediately before our Priests’ Convocation, an event that occurs once every three years.