Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney joined the local Peruvian Catholic community to celebrate El Senor de los Milagros, or the Lord of the Miracles, at a Mass on Oct. 9 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. The Peruvian devotion features an outdoor procession to the Lord and all his miracles through the streets. The procession includes an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

St. Mary’s Parish of Denville recently presented the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Hope One van, a mobile recovery access vehicle offering critical support for those struggling with addiction, with almost 300 Blessing Bags. The parish community collected items for the bags, and the Confirmation candidates sorted and collated the contributions and filled each large Ziploc bag with a new pair of socks, a snack, lip balm, deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste, mints, nail clippers, mini hand sanitizer, travel size shampoo, and a mini tissue pack.

Inflation, supply chain issues, and other challenges have hurt everybody, especially those who are food insecure — having limited or uncertain access to adequate foods, said Carlos Roldan, director of three food pantries of Catholic Charities. “Food is so expensive, and those who come into our food pantries are feeling the impact of these rising costs more than anyone else,” Roldan said.

In preparation for the 2022 mid-term elections on Nov. 8 and the 2023 New Jersey State Senate elections, the New Jersey Catholic Conference (NJCC) offered the webinar “Faithful Citizenship 101: A guide to understanding Catholics’ responsibility in the Public Square” on Oct. 20.

Roll up your sleeves, pro-lifers; there is still so much more work to be done, a Respect Life official of the Metuchen Diocese told a gathering of pro-life advocates and supporters in the Paterson Diocese on Oct. 29. On June 24, Respect Life advocates around the country notched a major victory they thought they would never see in their lifetime: the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of the constitutional right to abortion.

I begin my column this week with two (somewhat lengthy) quotations and by addressing you personally, with an awareness that, by the time you read this, some of you may have already cast your ballot in this year’s (coming) election. I also hope that many will read this as they consider voting on “Election Day,” Nov. 8. I take this opportunity to remind all Catholics that part of being who we are and who we are called to be as disciples involves our sharing the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus, by contributing to the “common good.” In other words, part of being a faithful disciple or living as a Catholic Christian means that we are called to be good and faithful citizens — wherever and in whatever (political) circumstances we may live.