St. Paul Parish in Clifton on Dec. 31 welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who presided over two Masses for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, one in English and another in Spanish.

Fiducia Supplicans (On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings) is a “Declaration” issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), signed by Pope Francis, and published on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023.

The St. Clement Pope & Martyr Parish community in Rockaway Township welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on Dec. 17 for a Mass in Spanish. Concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Sweeney was Father Giovanni Rodriguez, St. Clement’s pastor.

Seminarians of the diocese gathered on Dec. 21 in St. Gerard Majella Church in Paterson with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney for evening prayer and a Christmas celebration.

St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic hosted a bilingual Mass on Dec. 19 for Simbang Gabi, a traditional Filipino nine-day novena, in preparation for the Nativity of Jesus Christ.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated Mass on the final night of the diocesan celebrations of Simbang Gabi on Dec. 23 in St. Paul Church in Prospect Park. Simbang Gabi is a Filipino tradition of a nine-day novena in preparation for the Nativity of Jesus Christ.

The faith community of Assumption Parish in Morristown welcomed Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, who celebrated the 10 a.m. Mass on Christmas Day in the church. The liturgy marks the Nativity of the Lord, but this year, it also commemorated Assumption’s 175th anniversary.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the principal celebrant of a bilingual Mass to mark the Nativity of the Lord in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on Dec. 24 at 8 p.m. The bishop of Paterson traditionally marks Christmas Eve night at the cathedral, the mother church of the diocese.

For episode 36 of Beyond The Beacon, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Jai Agnish are joined by two gifted music ministers for a discussion about music’s impact on faith.

The faithful of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist again held their annual Bethlehem in Paterson Christmas charity event. Over 2,500 toys, 1,200 new winter jackets, 250 blankets, hundreds of socks and gloves, and 2,000 books were distributed to those in need. Msgr. Geno Sylva, S.T.D., rector of the cathedral, and over 250 volunteers, friends, and supporters of the cathedral participated in the generous act of charity and evangelization.

The Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wayne celebrated a 60-year anniversary in October, and parishioners and visitors were given a special view of the past via a “Walk Down Memory Lane” in the church hallway.

A story in The Beacon inspired the creation of the Baby Hats Ministry at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in the Stirling neighborhood of Long Hill Township. The group has been busy since it was founded on May 31, 2022, the Feast of the Visitation.

Former St. Joseph Parish of Lincoln Park pastor Father Dominik Bakowski wanted a special Christ­mas gift for his troop of 500 soldiers at Fort Cavasos in Texas. Father Bakowski phoned the St. Joseph Baking Ministry coordinator, Maria McMann, as well as parish secretary, JoAnn Caputo, and suggested thinking of a gift for his battalion.

Several months ago, Angelina Melendi had a germ of an idea: to launch a toy drive for children in need for Christmas. This 18-year-old couldn’t have imagined the collection would spark a wave of generosity that would “go viral” — far beyond the two Catholic parishes where it started.

Carlos Penagos, a seminarian of the Paterson Diocese, was admitted for candidacy to the priesthood during a Mass earlier this month in St. James the Apostle Church in Springfield.

At the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on Dec. 12, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant of Mass to mark the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Mexico and the Americas.

Sacred Heart of Jesus/Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish in Dover on Dec. 11 held a Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of Mexico and Empress of America. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was the main celebrant of the Mass, which brought together the Spanish speaking community of the parish.

The Diocesan Christmas Concert was held in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on Dec. 15 to help ring in the holiday season with a program of spirit-filled music. That night, the audience that filled the cathedral, the mother church of the Paterson Diocese, enjoyed a mix of Christmas classics and lesser-known contemporary songs.

Catholics spend a significant amount of time waiting for Jesus — from getting ready at Advent for his birth at Christmas to ultimately preparing for his Second Coming at the end of time. But the faithful might not realize Jesus comes every day in powerful ways, most especially at Mass, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney said in recent Advent reflections.

Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney celebrated a Mass at Merry Heart Nursing Home in the Succasunna neighborhood of Roxbury Township on Dec. 15. Concelebrating were retired priests and priests still in active ministry.