EACH YEAR, CATHOLICS FROM THROUGHOUT THE WORLD are invited to experience the unfolding of the Paschal Mystery of our Lord by participating in the various liturgies that commemorate his Passion, Death and Resurrection during Holy Week.
Here in the Diocese of Trenton, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., will commemorate Holy Week, which occurs this year April 10-17, by celebrating Masses and liturgies in parish communities around the Diocese.
To view Bishop O’Connell’s schedule for Holy Week click HERE.
BISHOP O’CONNELL WILL BE PRINCIPAL CELEBRANT of the Mass of Chrism at 7:30 p.m. in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. The Mass will be livestreamed at youtube.com/trentondiocese
The Chrism Mass reflects the communion of the priests with their bishop. All of the priests of the Diocese who are gathered publicly renew their commitment to their priestly service. The Mass is also when the Bishop blesses the oils to be used in parishes throughout the coming year – the Oil of the Sick and the Oil of Catechumens, and he also consecrates the Sacred Chrism, which is used for the Sacraments of Confirmation, Baptism and the ordination of priests and bishops.A RELIC OF THE FIRST MILLENNIAL TO BE BEATIFIED by the Catholic Church has arrived in the Diocese of Trenton and will be featured in a Mass with Bishop O’Connell.
The Bishop will celebrate Mass at 10 a.m. April 28 in St. Dominic Church, Brick, with the relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis present. The Mass will also be livestreamed at youtube.com/trentondiocese
Father Marion Kokorzycki, parochial vicar of St. Dominic Parish in Brick, and hospital chaplain, recently traveled to Assisi on pilgrimage. While there he met with the Apostolic Nuncio of Poland, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, and requested a relic of Blessed Carlo for veneration by the faithful of the Diocese, especially young Catholics. Archbishop Pennacchio agreed, allowing the relic to be transported to St. Dominic Church, where it will remain.
A young Catholic from Italy, Blessed Carlo Acutis was devoted to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and showed talent in computer programming, using his technology skills to build an online database of Eucharistic miracles around the world. In 2006 at the age of 15 he died of leukemia, having offered up his suffering for the Church and for the Pope. He was beatified by Pope Francis in October 2020; his tomb is located in the Shrine of the Renunciation, which is part of the Church of St. Mary Major, in Assisi.
Read the full story HERE. CHRISTIANITY CAME TO THE PHILIPPINES WITH SPANISH MISSIONARIES 500 YEARS AGO and the indelible mark it has left on Southeast Asia and the world is still being felt today, as Catholic Filipinos continue to practice their faith boldly, both in their home country and those to which they emigrated.
To mark that anniversary and its impact on the Diocese of Trenton with its vibrant Filipino communities and priests, Bishop O’Connell will celebrate a 10:30 a.m. Mass April 30 in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, 61 Georgia Rd., Freehold. Concelebrants will include Filipino priests of the Diocese. A reception will follow in the parish hall.
For more information about the Mass and the history Christianity in the Philippines read HERE.PRAYERS ARE NEEDED FOR MARIANITE SISTER SUELLEN TENNYSON, 83, who was abducted from her convent in Yalgo, Burkina Faso, the morning of April 5. The abduction was conducted by at least 10 armed men, the Marianites of Holy Cross said in an electronic newsletter.
Several Marianite Sisters have served in the Diocese over the years and request prayers for Sister Suellen.
The congregation said Sister Suellen, the former international congregational leader for order and a native of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, was sleeping when the men burst into the convent, ransacked the living quarters and kidnapped her, leaving behind two other Marianite sisters and two young women who also live in the convent.
To read more about this crime against Sister Suellen, click HERE.