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We have heard St. Luke’s narrative of the Annunciation so often in the Church’s celebrations of Mary, the Mother of God. Today that Word is proclaimed once more as the Church throughout the world celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation for all Catholics.

The secular world rushes to Christmas, a race that begins in stores even before Halloween!  The Season of Advent attempts to “put the breaks on,” so to speak, to allow people of faith to slow down in the midst of all “the glitter and the glow” to reflect upon the meaning of this time of year.

BISHOP DAVID M. O'CONNELL, C.M., HAS SHARED THIS MESSAGE for the liturgical season of Advent. The season of Advent will soon be here. It is a unique season of hope, filled with expectation and preparation for all of us in the Christian community to commemorate the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ – although it can be missed easily by society at large as simply an extended, early celebration of Christmas.

King of the Universe, or Christ the King. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops invites all Catholics in our country to reflect upon the meaning of religious freedom this weekend under the authority of Christ the King:

My mother loved Thanksgiving.  She always said it was her favorite holiday. Although it was an enormous amount of work for her – I don’t know how she did it all those years – she never seemed to mind it.  The Thanksgiving meal was always amazing, but I think it was just being surrounded by family that was the key to her joy and motivation!

The word “vocation” means a “call” and it presumes someone calling and someone called. As Catholics, of course, we identify “the caller” as God himself. In our faith, we believe that God has a plan for each of us and that God calls us, invites us to consider that plan and, hopefully, accept it. Different from merely a job, a “vocation” is all-encompassing, requiring a free and willing response and total commitment to the One who calls and to what is asked of us in that call.

"On this solemn Feast of All Saints, the Church invites us to reflect on the great hope that is based on Christ’s Resurrection: Christ is risen, and we will also be with him. The Saints and Blesseds are the most authoritative witnesses of Christian hope because they lived it fully in their lives, amidst joys and sufferings, putting into practice the Beatitudes … that Jesus preached are the path to holiness" (Pope Francis, Angelus Message, Nov. 1, 2020).

As is so often the case, our sisters and brothers in need in our own country and throughout the world depend upon our love and generosity, prompted by our Catholic faith, and turn to us for help in times of crisis. Such is now the case in Israel. I offer some ways to respond.

These are the words you are looking for us to say and the words we cannot utter without feeling aware of their seriousness and solemnity: never again one against the other, never, never again! … never again war! Never again war! It is peace, peace that has to guide the destiny of the nations of all mankind (Pope Paul VI, “Address to the United Nations,” October 4, 1965).

This weekend, October 7-8, the Diocese of Trenton joins with parishes throughout the country to celebrate the second annual “Deacon Sunday.”  Here in our Diocese, there are currently 188 active permanent deacons and 85 retired in our 97 parishes. A deacon is an ordained minister of the Catholic Church and, therefore, a member of its clergy. There are three groups, or "orders," of ordained ministers in the Church: bishops, priests, and deacons. Deacons are ordained by the bishop as a sacramental sign to the Church and to the world of the Lord Jesus Christ, who came "to serve and not to be served." The entire Church is called by Christ to serve, and the deacon, by virtue of his sacramental ordination and through his various ministries, is to be a servant in a servant-Church.

Our Holy Father Pope Francis has released his Apostolic Exhortation “Laudate Deum” (“Praise God”) on the memorial feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, one of history’s most popular Catholic saints, renowned for his love of nature and all of God’s creation. Clad in the only later-worn, distinctive robes of the Franciscan religious order, St. Francis is most often fondly portrayed with arms lovingly outstretched and surrounded by earth’s creatures. In a departure from the traditional list of papal names, the Jesuit Holy Father chose to be called by the name “Francis,” the first pope ever to do so. That one action, in itself, was considered to be an indication that his would be a “different” kind of pontificate from those of his predecessors. That anticipation has proved to be true.

The long-overdue and historic overturning of the landmark 1973 “Roe v. Wade” decision of the United States Supreme Court by the same body (different justices) in last year’s “Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization” represents the end of one tragic era and the beginning of another.

The deadly terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 are as fresh in the minds and memories of those alive at the time as though they happened yesterday. Simply referred to as “9/11,” the events of that horrific day deeply affected not only our nation but also the entire free world.

Church collections in dioceses and parishes have long been the butt of good-natured humor and jokes among the Catholic clergy and faithful. I don’t know too many bishops or priests who actually enjoy asking parishioners for their hard-earned money. The generosity of the faithful – and the clergy as well – however, has been and remains a principal source of support for dioceses and parishes and an investment in their ministries, activities and abilities to reach out to those in need. That has been true throughout the history of the Catholic Church since the very beginning.

Each year, organizations that work to promote public health and well-being observe September as National Suicide Prevention Month. Bishop O’Connell’s essay on this topic follows: I read with alarm and deep concern the recent report of the Centers for Disease Control that the number of suicides in the United States reached an all-time high last year. 

Our Holy Father Pope Francis has announced that he will publish an apostolic exhortation on the environment on Oct. 4, the memorial feast of St. Francis of Assisi, as a follow up to his landmark encyclical on Care for Creation, Laudato Si’ (May 24, 2015).

Three words loom large around this time every year: BACK TO SCHOOL!  It seems like just yesterday the radio was blasting the 1972 classic “Schools Out for Summer” by Alice Cooper to the delight of kids (and teachers!) everywhere!  That didn’t last long. 

I was looking in the cupboard for a cereal bowl the other morning and found a large mug with the words “choose happy” written on the side. I was more interested in my oatmeal than the inscription at first but as I sat down for breakfast, I read the words on the mug and started thinking about the advice imparted there. “Choose happy.” Who would imagine finding “wisdom” on a coffee mug so early in the morning?

Yes, Tuesday, August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven and the Patronal Feast of the Diocese of Trenton, IS a holy day of obligation.  In other words, Catholics are obliged to attend Mass either on the vigil (the evening before) or on the day itself. Rather than focus on the “obligation,” which is described in the provisions of canon law (cc. 1246 and 1247) and supported by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for our country, perhaps we should consider the reasons of faith behind the obligation.

Genuine excitement is felt among young Catholics throughout the world as World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 begins in Lisbon, Portugal, August 1 through August 6. Originally scheduled for last year at this time but postponed due to the pandemic, approximately 677,000 young people from 126 countries on five continents will gather for the celebration of the Catholic faith.