After an historic 2017 U.S. tour, relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina –popularly known as Padre Pio – made a stop in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, Nov. 13.
The relics drew a steady flow of more than 1,000 pilgrims from across the Diocese and beyond, all seeking a chance to see and venerate the relics of one of the Church’s most beloved saints.
The visit was sponsored by the
St. Pio Foundation, a national charitable organization that promotes awareness of St. Pio. The 2018 tour was part of an ongoing commemoration of the 50th anniversary of his death and included stops throughout the United States and for the first time, Mexico and Canada.
After public veneration of the relics concluded, Mass was celebrated by diocesan vicar general, Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio.
To read The Monitor’s coverage on the visit of Padre Pio’s relics, click here. On Nov. 11, young adults from the Diocese of Trenton and beyond gathered at Georgian Court University, Lakewood, for “Your Body, Your Life,” a daylong conference that focused on the meaning and purpose of sexuality in a Catholic context.
The event featured keynote speaker Gene Zannetti, a former nationally ranked, All-Ivy League wrestler, with a background in sports science and psychology. Zannetti, is the founder of
Spiritual Strength, a company that provides coaching, workshops and retreats.
Describing today’s trends when it comes to the meaning and purpose of sexuality, Gene Zannetti didn’t mince words: “We’re in a battle. We get a message from the media and society that’s very different from our faith and morals…I say I’m a Catholic, but am I really living this?”
The day also included individual breakout sessions facilitated by Franciscan Friar of the Renewal Father Sebastian Kajko and Enza Cerami, founder of
Living Stones Inc. – a firm that works to educate about God’s plan for sex and marriage.
“The issue of sexuality is one that is enormous in our day and time,” said Cristina D’Averso-Collins, director of campus ministries in Monmouth University, West Long Branch. The program highlighted, among other topics, “what we mean when we say that the body has meaning and value.”
Click here to read more about this young adult conference on TrentonMonitor.com. This weekend, Nov. 17-18, parishes in the Diocese of Trenton will be taking up the annual collection for the 2018 Catholic Campaign for Human Development, or CCHD which is the Catholic Church’s domestic anti-poverty, social justice program that has as its mission to address the root causes of poverty in America through promotion and support of community-controlled, self-help organizations and through transformative education. The theme of the 2018 campaign collection is “Working on the Margins.”
Of the amount collected, 75 percent will be sent to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ national CCHD office, where the money will be used to support larger, often national programs for improving the lives of the poor. The remaining 25 percent remains in the Diocese to support more local, grassroots programs.
Brenda Rascher, executive director of the diocesan Office of Catholic Social Services, also implores us to support the work of the CCHD. She shares her own story about biking across America to raise awareness to help break the cycle of poverty.
You can read this story on TrentonMonitor.com by clicking here.