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The Diocese of Trenton will join with dioceses across the nation to take up the annual Peter’s Pence Collection at all Masses the weekend of June 29-30.

TRENTON -- Beginning June 15, 2019, the New Jersey Independent Victim Compensation Fund (IVCP) will begin accepting claims related to the Church sexual abuse of minors by diocesan priests or deacons of the Roman Catholic dioceses of Newark, Paterson, Metuchen, Camden and Trenton.

As had been announced in February, the Diocese of Trenton – along with the other Roman Catholic dioceses in New Jersey – has established an Independent Victim Compensation Program (IVCP) to compensate those who, as minors, were sexually abused by a priest or deacon of the Diocese. The IVCP will be open to claims beginning June 15.

Twelve parishes, organizations and agencies that serve the people of the Diocese of Trenton were awarded a total of $10,000 in grants from the 2019 Bishop George W. Ahr Endowment Fund.

Diocese’s Catholic school students collect funds, gifts for hospitalized children and their families

The annual collection for the Catholic Communications Campaign, held each year on World Communications Day (June 1-2 this year), invites the Church’s members to participate in and support this essential work of the Church – to share the Gospel with all peoples through word and image.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., has announced the following pastoral assignments for priests of the Diocese of Trenton who are retiring, who will be promoted or transferred, or who have requested a change of assignment, effective July 1, 2019, unless otherwise noted:

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton invites men and women of all faiths to attend the 20th annual Blue Mass set for 10:30 a.m., April 30 in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral in Trenton. Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., will serve as principal celebrant and homilist for the Mass, and will ask God’s protection for law enforcement personnel in the four counties of the Diocese and around the state. As many as a dozen diocesan priests are expected to concelebrate.

The following statement has been issued by Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding simultaneous explosions in Sri Lanka targeting the country’s minority Christian community as well as luxury hotels around Colombo on Easter Sunday morning. At least 200 people were killed and more than 400 injured in the terrorist attacks.

In a statement dated March 30, 2019, the Diocese of Trenton expressed profound sadness as it announced receiving an allegation of the sexual abuse of a minor against Msgr. Gregory D. Vaughan, who has served as pastor of St. Catharine Parish in Holmdel since 2013. The alleged abuse dates back to the late 1970s and early 1980s when Msgr. Vaughan was a parochial vicar in St. Ann Parish, Keansburg. This is the first and only allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against Msgr. Vaughan reported to the Diocese.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., has issued the following prayer request: The U.S. Senate recently failed to pass the Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act – legislation that prohibits infanticide by ensuring that a child born alive following an attempted abortion would receive the same degree of care to preserve her or his life and health as would be given to any other child born alive at the same gestational age.

Less than two weeks after Pope Francis convened a worldwide summit on eradicating the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, the Catholic bishops in New Jersey have issued a statement in which they detail their ongoing efforts, many dating back to 2002, to ensure safe environments for children and youth, deal with clergy charged with abuse and assist the victims in their process of healing. The statement was provided to 120 state legislators and media outlets March 4 by the New Jersey Catholic Conference.

As a proposed piece of legislation that would allow physicians to assist some terminally ill patients to end their lives moves forward in the NJ State Legislature, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., issued a letter to legislators expressing his opposition as a “bishop, a priest, a man of faith . . . but also as a human being and a son.” In the letter sent Feb. 11, the day that the Catholic Church observes World Day of the Sick, Bishop O’Connell told legislators that “never again will your responsibility be greater or your decision more important.” The letter follows:

(Washington, D.C.-- February 11, 2019) Kenneth R. Feinberg and Camille S. Biros, two noted victims’ compensation experts, have been named Administrators of a New Jersey state-wide Compensation Program – approved and supported by all five Roman Catholic Dioceses located in the state. Today they announced the creation of the Independent Victim Compensation Program (“IVCP”) to pay eligible victims who were sexually abused by clergy of the Roman Catholic Church while minors.

It is my sad duty to announce the death on Jan. 22, 2019 of the Most Rev. John Mortimer Smith, Bishop Emeritus (2010-2019) and Ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton (1997-2010), former Coadjutor Bishop of Trenton (1995-1997), former Bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Florida (1991-1995) and former Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Newark (1988-1991).

Faithful of the Diocese of Trenton will have the opportunity to stand for the sanctity of life alongside hundreds of thousands from around the world during the Jan. 18 March For Life in Washington, D.C.

Two strong and successful Catholic elementary schools in the Diocese of Trenton – situated just over three miles apart – will pool their resources and efforts to become a newly-established Catholic Academy that will open its doors in September, 2019.

The following message from our Holy Father, Pope Francis, was released for World Day of Peace, which falls on January 1.

All Saints Regional Catholic School in Manahawkin, which has provided education to children in five Ocean County parishes for more than 20 years, will move away from its regional model and reopen in July 2019 as St. Mary Academy under the administration of St. Mary Parish, Barnegat.

The Roman Catholic Bishops of New Jersey announced today their decision to retain Kenneth R. Feinberg and Camille Biros to design, implement and administer a statewide Victims Compensation Program for the submission, evaluation, and settlement of individual claims of sexual abuse of a minor.