Pope’s words in France are encouragement to not give up the fight against ‘deadly laws’ #Catholic –

PARIS (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV’s forceful defense of human life during his Sept. 25-27 visit to France has reignited debate over the country’s newly approved assisted-dying law, which lawmakers had largely considered settled after its passage in July.

The pope’s words are now interpreted by pro-life movements as a call to protect life despite the new law, which took effect in August.

For Lucie Pacherie, a lawyer and spokesperson for the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, the pope’s words are a “great encouragement to continue raising awareness among the French people that this law is not good, even though it has been passed.”

“The pope spoke in extremely firm terms,” she told OSV News. “He really made it clear that what is legal is not necessarily moral.”

Jerome Trillard, one of the six altar servers with Down syndrome who served papal Mass at Place de la Concorde Sept. 26, told French channel C News that people like him should not be “excluded” from society. “Instead, we need inclusion for people with disabilities,” he urged.

The presence of these altar servers at the papal Mass in mainstream television channels and viral papal blessings of the sick and disabled from Paris, through Lourdes to Metz, sent a signal that life is sacred, pro-life advocates and bishops underlined following the trip.

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Pope Leo in France: ‘What is legal is not necessarily moral’

Pope Leo used his first visit to France to deliver a forceful defense of human life at every stage, condemning abortion, surrogacy and assisted dying while urging lawmakers and caregivers to protect the vulnerable.

At the Élysée Palace in Paris Sept. 25, the pope told French civil authorities that “the protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right,” warning against “trends in society that risk turning science and technology into profit-driven ventures promoting genetic manipulation, surrogacy, the trade in human organs or the possibility of arranging one’s own death.”

The pope called for a conversion of minds and hearts “to welcome life unconditionally, to support frailty with loving care, to accompany every stage of life with respect and mutual trust, and to defend with courage and compassion those unable to make their voices heard and those who feel ignored or overlooked.”

Two days later in Lourdes, speaking to patients and caregivers at the Accueil Notre Dame, Pope Leo applied that appeal particularly to those who are sick, elderly or disabled.

“Dear brothers and sisters who are sick, I want to tell you that you are not a burden,” he said. “You are the beating heart of our humanity and a precious treasure for the Church.”

He rejected the idea that human worth can be determined by utility, technology, or under legal decisions. “No one ever has the right, on the basis of laboratory algorithms, to decide the life of a given embryo or elderly person!” he said. “Medicine must never become the servant of programmed death.”

“No human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity,” the pope told the sick and disabled. “It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral.”

Pope to critics in France: ‘We’re applying the Gospel to people’s lives’

The papal words caused an avalanche of reactions in France. While his address at the Élysée Palace was considered to be delivered “peacefully,” France’s top-rated television channel TF1 noted the pope took a “tougher stance” in Lourdes.

“The pope must still respect the laws of our country,” Jean-Luc Romero, a former deputy mayor of Paris known for actively campaigning in favor of the assisted-dying law, commented on France Info TV.

Olivier Falorni, who served as the principal architect of the bill on assisted dying while he was a member of parliament opposed any “interference by the Church” in French law, speaking on France Info, a public news radio station.

The pope, asked about the hot button issue on a plane from Metz to Rome, said he “didn’t cross” the line of separation between the state and the Church, and encouraged to “read or re-read” his first encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas.”

“When it speaks about questions of social doctrine, we’re not entering into politics,” the pope told journalists. “We’re applying the Gospel to people’s lives.”

While noting there “can be politicians” who say “no, religion should only be in the private sphere. Let people do what they want on their own,” the pope underlined, “That is a state.”

But in the Church, “we have to be separate,” he said.

“I went to France … primarily to preach the Gospel, to preach the good news, to reaffirm what Jesus Christ himself says when he says: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.’”

The defense of life, the pope said, “is something that, as you all know, the Church teaches and believes very deeply.”

While acknowledging laws similar to the French assisted-dying bill are spreading in Europe, Pope Leo said his encounter with the sick in the sanctuary of Lourdes carried a different kind of message.

In Lourdes, he said, people who are sick are “searching for something much deeper,” for “understanding that their lives, even in the midst of sickness or disability or pain of different kinds … has meaning.”

The Church, the pope said, “because of Jesus himself, wants to be close to those people and to affirm the values that that life itself … holds for all of us. So … I would say if that’s politics, I did that, but it was not to get involved in French politics. It was to teach what the Church really believes.”

Lejeune Foundation: Pope’s affirmation of life not ‘too late’ even if law passed

Many French journalists and politicians, from all corners of politics, reacted positively to the papal appeals for the protection of life.

French weekly Journal du Dimanche hailed a “vibrant speech against euthanasia.” “It is true that the pope sounded the charge against this law,” Rokhaya Diallo, a left-wing activist, commented on France Info.

“But this is not just a right-wing opinion.” “This issue transcends the left-right divide,” she emphasized, referring to the Franco-Chilean lawyer Élisa Rojas, an left-wing activist opposed to euthanasia, who published a book in April titled “To Die, Press One” to oppose this law.

For Pacherie, spokeswoman at the Lejeune Foundation, the remarks of the pope were shaped by the June 22 audience with members of the Lejeune Foundation to mark the centennial of Jérôme Lejeune’s birth.

“It was on that very same day that young boys and men with Down syndrome asked the pope if they could serve at his Mass during his visit to France,” Pacherie said. When the pope agreed, “it was a beautiful symbol to honor them and bless them in this way on that occasion,” Pacherie told OSV News.

The Lejeune Foundation carries on the work of the French scientist, professor of genetics who discovered that an extra chromosome in human DNA causes Down syndrome. What he hoped would be a breakthrough in protecting people with Down syndrome became a reason to eliminate them by abortion. In France, the abortion rate in cases of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome is 68%.

“Professor Lejeune understood that while technology can assist medicine, it can never replace it. He also knew that technology can be used against medicine — which by its very nature is at the service of life — whenever it escapes essential ethical oversight and is governed instead by calculations of efficiency, profitability, or utility,” Pope Leo told Lejeune Foundation representatives on June 22.

“But the value of the human person does not depend on what he or she accomplishes or produces. For this reason, a physician should never be allowed to decide on the life of a particular embryo or a particular elderly person, on the basis of laboratory algorithms! Medicine must never become the servant of programmed death!” Pope Leo added in what was a preludium to the papal address in Acceuil Notre Dame in Lourdes.

Pacherie believes that “the pope’s statement has not come too late,” even though the law has already been passed.

“On June 22, the pope had already told us that neither he nor the Church as such was in a position to halt the ongoing process that would lead to the passage of this law,” she explained.

“Even if he had come to France earlier, he would not have been able to stop this measure, which was orchestrated by activists deeply involved in French politics.”

But for Pacherie, “the pope’s remarks in Lourdes come at just the right time to ensure we do not give up the fight against these deadly laws.”

She said the pope shed a light on people who are fragile and vulnerable in face of legislation and “our task is to continue caring for them, so that they do not have the weight of this law on their shoulders, and to raise awareness among the French public that just because something is legal does not mean it is a good thing.”

Caroline de Sury writes for OSV News from Paris.

– PARIS (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV’s forceful defense of human life during his Sept. 25-27 visit to France has reignited debate over the country’s newly approved assisted-dying law, which lawmakers had largely considered settled after its passage in July. The pope’s words are now interpreted by pro-life movements as a call to protect life despite the new law, which took effect in August. For Lucie Pacherie, a lawyer and spokesperson for the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, the pope’s words are a “great encouragement to continue raising awareness among the French people that this law is not good, even though it

Papal trip showed miracle of rebirth out of tragedy is possible, pope says #Catholic –

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV’s journey to France aimed to show that a joyful or serene rebirth is always possible even after tremendous tragedy or terrible suffering, he said.

By visiting the newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral, meeting with survivors of abuse and praying at Lourdes, and celebrating the Christian faith openly in the public square of a secular nation, the pope highlighted how the miracle of new life can happen when everyone comes together out of love for one’s neighbor and the common good, he said during his weekly general audience Sept. 30.

As has been customary, Pope Leo used his first general audience after his Sept. 25-28 trip to Paris, Lourdes and Metz in France to tell people about the purpose of his visit and to thank all those who made the journey possible.

He also repeated an appeal he made in France: asking the faithful worldwide to pray the rosary throughout October, “dedicating it in a special way to ending wars and achieving peace.”

The motto of the journey, “That the world may have life,” the pope said in English, “characterized the Gospel-centered nature of my meetings throughout the visit. For God alone, through his grace, can restore the Church and renew humanity, and it was evident to me that this is precisely what is occurring.”

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The Cathedral of Notre Dame of Paris, which was restored after a fire destroyed its wooden spire and most of its roof in 2019, “can symbolically shed light on this entire apostolic journey, offering a perspective that I would summarize in one word: rebirth,” he said in his main catechesis in Italian to thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Rebuilt and “more splendid than ever, the cathedral’s restoration “was a test of the possible collaboration between the Church, the state, public institutions and civil society,” Pope Leo said.

“The synergy for the common good should be the norm for institutions, political and social forces, and all those with civil and economic responsibilities,” he said.

“This is the message I wished to convey” to secular leaders and organizations, he said, “highlighting the fundamental criterion upon which such collaboration must be based: the dignity of the human person.”

According to France’s National Institute of Demographic Studies, the percentage of 18 to 49-year-olds who reported not belonging to any religion grew from 45% in 2009 to 53% in 2020, and 29% of the entire population reported being Catholic.

However, the pope said, there is also “a sign of renewal within the Church in France that has been evident for some years now, namely the remarkable and growing number of young people and adults seeking baptism.”

A tangible and visible sign of rebirth “appeared in a surprising way” during Mass Sept. 26 in Place de la Concorde, which, he said, was a highpoint of his visit. “Priests, the choir and a remarkable crowd extended all the way along the Avenue des Champs Élysées up to the Arc de Triomphe and beyond.” An estimated 800,000 people filled the streets, according to the Vatican.

Despite the vast crowds, “everyone was able to receive the Eucharist,” he said, “This is the true reconstruction, the restoration of the Church that only God can bring about, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary.”

Turning to his visit to Lourdes, he said the shrine dedicated to Our Lady also represents “a message of hope and rebirth,” especially for those who are sick “in body and spirit.”

This was another message “that I wished to openly reaffirm: every human life, in whatever condition, even in the most extreme frailty, retains its inviolable dignity and deserves to be cared for, accompanied and relieved of suffering with human compassion and with the aid of the means offered by science,” he said.

Because Lourdes “represents for the entire world a sanctuary of the civilization of love,” he said this was context for his meeting with a group of people who had experienced abuse by members of the church.

“I asked them to help me express to other victims too my own wish, and that of the whole Church, to listen to them and walk alongside them as they seek healing, acknowledging the pain inflicted upon their lives and working to prevent abuse,” he said.

Lastly, visiting the city of Metz, he said, helped symbolize its role in the process of unifying Europe “as a project for peace in the wake of the destruction wrought by war.”

After two devastating world wars, “Europe was reborn, founded on those principles of democracy, solidarity and fraternity amongst peoples, which owe much to its Christian roots,” Pope Leo said.

“Dear brothers and sisters, may the public witness of love for Jesus Christ that we have seen in France be an inspiration to the whole Church. Let us not hide our faith!” he told Portuguese-speaking pilgrims.

– VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV’s journey to France aimed to show that a joyful or serene rebirth is always possible even after tremendous tragedy or terrible suffering, he said. By visiting the newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral, meeting with survivors of abuse and praying at Lourdes, and celebrating the Christian faith openly in the public square of a secular nation, the pope highlighted how the miracle of new life can happen when everyone comes together out of love for one’s neighbor and the common good, he said during his weekly general audience Sept. 30. As has been customary,

From troubadour to God’s juggler #Catholic –

“May the Lord give you peace!” This was a favorite greeting of Saint Francis of Assisi. He said it to rich and poor alike, to soldiers and statesmen, to those who were sick and suffering, and he even said it to the birds. It’s a greeting that reflects the radical transformation that took place in his life. He even shared this greeting in a letter to a close friend while suffering from the illness that took his life on October 3^rd, 1226.

We celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi on October 4^th, and the Franciscan Jubilee honoring the 800-year anniversary of his passing continues until January 10^th, 2027. In life, Saint Francis sparked a renewal of faith in Christ. In the 800 years that have passed since his death, he has been a powerful intercessor, and he continues to inspire people to discover the peace of God in their lives.

In his “Saint Francis of Assisi” biography, G.K. Chesterton draws a comparison between the troubadour poets with whom Francis identified prior to his conversion and the title he gave his wandering band of ascetics, the “Jongleurs de Dieu” (“Jugglers of God”). Associating troubadours with knights and jongleurs with jesters, Chesterton writes, “The jester could be free when the knight was rigid…This parallel of the two poets or minstrels is perhaps the best preliminary and external statement of the Franciscan change of heart.”

This change of heart, Chesterton observes, is “the reason why the Franciscan, ragged, penniless, homeless and apparently hopeless, did indeed come forth singing such songs as might come from the stars of morning; and shouting, a son of God.” It was a leap that enabled Francis and his followers to empty themselves of worldly cares to arrive at a deep appreciation for God’s creation. As Chesterton writes, “The mystic who passes through the moment when there is nothing but God does in some sense behold the beginningless beginnings in which there was really nothing else.”

Arriving at this starting point, Francis was able to see God’s gift in the simplest things and the humblest of people, an outlook that has inspired saints from Clare of Assisi in his own time to one of our most recent saints, Carlo Acutis, who was so inspired by Saint Francis that the medieval Umbrian town of Assisi became his favorite pilgrimage site.

Francis, Clare, and Carlo are all buried at churches very near to each other in Assisi. Though Carlo was from Milan in northern Italy, he asked to be buried in Assisi shortly before dying of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. It is a testament to the enduring appeal of the detachment preached by Francis that Carlo would make this request while facing his own death.

“Transitus” is the word Franciscans use for the death of Saint Francis. It is a Latin word meaning “a passing,” “going,” or “moving through,” and it is used to refer with confidence to the time when Francis passed from this life into the next. It’s a confidence rooted in that change of heart from Troubadour to Jongleur de Dieu, when Francis started to choose to be a jester for God rather than a king on earth. He was choosing heaven even then, which is why saints like Carlo and Clare and so many others are inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi to live in appreciation for the gift of life itself, in the hope of rising together again in Christ.

For free copies of the Christopher News Note “The Seven Heavenly Virtues,” write: The Christophers, 264 West 40^th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org

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– “May the Lord give you peace!” This was a favorite greeting of Saint Francis of Assisi. He said it to rich and poor alike, to soldiers and statesmen, to those who were sick and suffering, and he even said it to the birds. It’s a greeting that reflects the radical transformation that took place in his life. He even shared this greeting in a letter to a close friend while suffering from the illness that took his life on October 3rd, 1226. We celebrate the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi on October 4th, and the Franciscan Jubilee honoring the

Celebrating, with gratitude, 100 Years of the Carmel in Morristown … The Month of the Holy Rosary and Respect Life Month #Catholic –

“In the very last days of 1926, a very different religious presence came to Morris County in the person of Mother Mary Magdalene of Jesus Crucified Potts, O.C.D. A native of the Washington area and the daughter of an admiral, Sister Mary Magdalene had entered the cloistered Carmelites at Philadelphia in 1911 and then had a bequest from her mother to establish a Carmel at Wheeling, West Virginia in 1913. Feeling a desire to found a Carmel ‘in poverty,’ she was looking for a site for another foundation. The desire of Bishop O’Connor to ‘do something for Our Lady’ in the waning years of his episcopate, and the invitation of a Mrs. Walsh, a woman from Morristown who belonged to a Carmelite third order group in New York City, brought Mother Mary Magdalene to Morristown. On Dec. 30, 2026, four sisters took up residence in a small house on South Street…”

— From Living Stones by Msgr. Raymond J. Kupke, pgs. 198-99

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

“The rest,” as we say, “is history.” When “history” concerns the Diocese of Paterson, I am always grateful to Msgr. Raymond Kupke and his wonderful book, Living Stones, written on the occasion of our Diocese’s 50th anniversary (in 1987). For those who are familiar with Living Stones, its subtitle, “A History of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Paterson,” could be misleading and cause one to think that it “only” covers the “first 50 years,” 1937 to 1987. The first half of the book is a history of the Catholic Church in northern New Jersey from before the Revolutionary War, beginning in 1764.

So, I was not surprised when I wanted to share some background on how a Carmelite Monastery came to our Diocese (11 years before the foundation of the Diocese of Paterson); I was quickly able to find a compelling account, as cited above, on pages 198-99 of Living Stones. When I was appointed as bishop of the diocese, six years ago, I was very happy to learn that we had a Carmelite Monastery in our diocese. Like millions of others during the past 100-plus years, I was “introduced” to the Carmelites and Carmelite Spirituality when I first heard, in high school, about St. Therese of Lisieux, the “Little Flower,” and her autobiography (spiritual diary), Story of a Soul.

If you are not yet familiar with the Carmelites, their spirituality, and their saints (Therese of Lisieux, Theresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Theresa Benedicta of the Cross, St. Simon Stock, and many, many more — personally, I think that St. Pope John Paul II could be considered an “honorary” Carmelite, because his personal spirituality and vocation were so strongly influenced by the Carmelites, especially John of the Cross and Theresa of Avila), you could Google “Carmelite Saints” or any one of the above. You could also go to the website of the Carmelite Monastery in Morristown where you can learn a great deal about the sisters, their vocation and mission, including their “Vision” and “What (they) Do.”

 “Through self-sacrifice, silence, penance and prayer, the Carmelite Sisters offer their very lives as a prayer to God for all humanity … The Carmelites have a rigorous schedule consisting each day of eight hours of prayer, manual labor, some recreation, as well as contemplation. They are always striving to make themselves more pleasing to God. The Carmelite Sisters adhere to strict silence so that their prayers may be more continuous.”

About the Carmelites

I am very much looking forward to being with the Carmelite Sisters, many of our priests, seminarians, consecrated religious, and faithful from our diocese and beyond, as we celebrate and give thanks for “100 Years” with a Eucharistic Pilgrimage and Mass on Saturday, Oct. 3, beginning at our St. Paul Inside the Wall Evangelization Center in Madison (at 10 a.m.) and concluding with Mass at the monastery at 11:30 a.m. Click here for more information and to register or see the flyer at right.

St. Therese of Lisieux died at the age of 24, on Sept. 30, 1897. She was canonized as a saint (very quickly) on May 17, 1925, during the Jubilee Year, by Pope Pius the XI. From 1927 to 1969, her feast day was celebrated on Oct. 3, before changes in the Church’s liturgical calendar, caused her Feast Day to be “moved” to Oct. 1. Personally, I find it meaningful and appropriate that we begin the month of October, the “Month of the Holy Rosary,” with the Feast of St. Therese, who in addition to being a role model for a life of prayer and contemplation, is also, along with St. Francis Xavier, the patron saint/s of missionaries, and one of only four women recognized (by St. Pope John Paul II in 1997) as a “Doctor of the Church.”

Last year, I wrote a column about the end of September and October as a beautiful (and prayerful) time of year, focusing on “The Saints of Late September and October, Respect Life Month and the Month of the Holy Rosary.” I hope that you might take the time to go back and review it. In this year of 2026, as we celebrate 100 years of the Carmel in Morristown, we are also in a “Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi,” whose Feast we will remember on Sunday, Oct. 4. We will celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (Our Lady of Victories) on Wednesday, Oct. 7, and the next day, Thursday, Oct. 8, will be the New Jersey Mass and March for Life in Trenton. 

This time of year can be beautiful and prayerful; it can also be very busy. You have probably already heard or will be hearing in the coming weeks about our annual Diocesan Ministries Appeal. We will have a very busy (full) “diocesan weekend” from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18, when we will have our Diocesan Marian Pilgrimage to Washington, DC on Friday and Saturday, and then mark the 100th “World Mission Sunday” and host our Diocesan Vivere Christus awards on Sunday, Oct. 18. It is comforting to know that the Carmelite Sisters in Morristown will be praying for us on each step of our journey.

Celebrating this significant anniversary for the Carmel of Morristown and considering the special moments that we have to be united in prayer during the month of October, the month of the Holy Rosary, encourages us to remember that we can always unite our efforts to build up God’s Kingdom through prayer. I think of those who may be homebound, sick, or suffering. The prayers of the homebound and the ill are a source of grace for many. St. Therese, the Little Flower, spent the most significant portion of her brief life in a Carmelite monastery, but she is the co-patroness of the missions because of her commitment to pray for others. No matter where we are, our prayers are a sharing in the Lord’s work. Just as Carmel is a powerhouse of prayer, so too the prayers of those who are homebound or limited in mobility can powerfully contribute to the good of others through prayer. I thank all of the homebound, particularly, for your commitment to pray for so many worthy intentions.

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– “In the very last days of 1926, a very different religious presence came to Morris County in the person of Mother Mary Magdalene of Jesus Crucified Potts, O.C.D. A native of the Washington area and the daughter of an admiral, Sister Mary Magdalene had entered the cloistered Carmelites at Philadelphia in 1911 and then had a bequest from her mother to establish a Carmel at Wheeling, West Virginia in 1913. Feeling a desire to found a Carmel ‘in poverty,’ she was looking for a site for another foundation. The desire of Bishop O’Connor to ‘do something for Our Lady’ in

Retreat readies Assumption College board for new academic year #Catholic –

Assumption College for Sisters (ACS) in Denville, N.J., kicked off its new board year on Sept. 16, by gathering at Villa Pauline Retreat and Spiritual Center in Mendham, N.J., for its Annual Board of Trustees Retreat. Board members and ACS staff participated in a reflective day titled “Spirit into Matter – Receiving, Accepting, Being, Reflecting,” led by potter, artist, teacher, and retreat presenter, Ray Boswell.

With a renewed sense of purpose and community, the ACS Board of Trustees steps into the new academic year ready to guide the mission and growth of the college.

Using his potter’s wheel, clay, and the power of storytelling, Boswell guided attendees in exploring the powerful biblical imagery of God as the potter and humanity as the clay. Through his artistry, he illustrated profound messages of divine love, gentleness, and the ongoing call to a deeper spiritual relationship.

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Making the retreat a truly interactive experience, each participant designed a personal vigil light mold. These pieces will be fired in a kiln and later returned to the trustees as tangible mementos of the day’s spiritual reflections.

The retreat concluded with a liturgy celebrating the spiritual foundation of the college, alongside a special recognition ceremony honoring several key leaders for their steadfast service: Angelo Sansano, board chair; Anthony Sturla, board secretary; and Father Martin Glynn, pastor of St. Mary’s Parish, also in Denville. Ellen Sandman, new board chair, expressed sincere gratitude to them.

– Assumption College for Sisters (ACS) in Denville, N.J., kicked off its new board year on Sept. 16, by gathering at Villa Pauline Retreat and Spiritual Center in Mendham, N.J., for its Annual Board of Trustees Retreat. Board members and ACS staff participated in a reflective day titled “Spirit into Matter – Receiving, Accepting, Being, Reflecting,” led by potter, artist, teacher, and retreat presenter, Ray Boswell. With a renewed sense of purpose and community, the ACS Board of Trustees steps into the new academic year ready to guide the mission and growth of the college. Using his potter’s wheel, clay, and

St. Joseph’s Health honors contributions of Hispanics during Mass #Catholic –

St. Joseph’s Health in Paterson, N.J., commemorated Hispanic Heritage Month, observed nationally from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, during a bilingual Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on Sept. 16 in the chapel of St. Joseph University Medical Center in Paterson, N.J.

Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates Hispanic and Latino history and culture. It recognizes he many contributions made to the history and culture of the United States, including advocacy work, art, food, sports, entertainment, business, science, and public service.

Father Krzysztof Liwarski, a hospital chaplain at St. Joseph’s, concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney. Deacon Lawrence Duffy, pastoral care director of St. Joseph’s Health, assisted with the liturgy.

“From rich traditions to inspiring stories of resilience and achievement, St. Joseph’s is grateful for the lasting impact these communities have made and continue to make,” St. Joseph’s said.

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– St. Joseph’s Health in Paterson, N.J., commemorated Hispanic Heritage Month, observed nationally from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, during a bilingual Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on Sept. 16 in the chapel of St. Joseph University Medical Center in Paterson, N.J. Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates Hispanic and Latino history and culture. It recognizes he many contributions made to the history and culture of the United States, including advocacy work, art, food, sports, entertainment, business, science, and public service. Father Krzysztof Liwarski, a hospital chaplain at St. Joseph’s, concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney. Deacon Lawrence Duffy, pastoral care

Diocese honors retired priests for service during autumn luncheon #Catholic –

The Ministry for Retired Priests of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey held an Autumn Luncheon for Retired Priests on Sept. 15 at St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J., with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney.

Several active priests joined the retired priests, among them several diocesan officials, including Father Michael Parisi, vicar general and pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, N.J.; Msgr. John Hart, director of priest personnel and pastor of Assumption Parish in Morristown, N.J.; Father Nico Quintos, minister to retired priests and St. Ann’s pastor; and Father Richard Bay, a retired priest and minister to senior priests.

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– The Ministry for Retired Priests of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey held an Autumn Luncheon for Retired Priests on Sept. 15 at St. Ann Parish in Parsippany, N.J., with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney. Several active priests joined the retired priests, among them several diocesan officials, including Father Michael Parisi, vicar general and pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mountain Lakes, N.J.; Msgr. John Hart, director of priest personnel and pastor of Assumption Parish in Morristown, N.J.; Father Nico Quintos, minister to retired priests and St. Ann’s pastor; and Father Richard Bay, a retired priest and minister to