Today is CATECHETICAL SUNDAY. The United States Catholic Bishops always declare the third Sunday of September to be Catechetical Sunday. It is a way to recognize the teaching ministry of the church. This year’s theme is “I RECEIVED FROM THE LORD WHAT I HANDED ON TO YOU.” This is from one of Paul’s letters in…
With the opening of school, districts vary as to whether tohave in-school classes, remote learning, or a hybrid of both. Both parents andteachers are concerned about safety, especially that of the faculty andchildren. Prior to the opening of school, there were demonstrations by bothparents and teachers about the safety of all who need…
Needless to say, this has been a verydifferent year, with COVID-19, Hurricane Isaias, and the ongoing issue ofBlack Lives Matter. This past week we saw sports teams decide not to playgames in opposition to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.God does not make distinctions, and neither should we. If we discriminateagainst one person, then we discriminate against all. Theplayers…
As many of you already know, Deacon Jerry Bongiovanni’s wife, Janice, died last week. She had been in thehospital, and for the last few weeks of her life, she was on hospice care. Janice was faithful to Jerry as his wife, andeven though she was Presbyterian, she was faithful to Jerry’s ministry as a deacon…
The Saint James Parish Family experienced a profound loss last week with the death of Deacon Dan O’Neill. Danwas ordained a permanent deacon on June 1, 2002, by Archbishop John Myers. Dan served the Parish of SaintJames and the Archdiocese of Newark faithfully for 18 years. He assisted at Mass and preached once a month….
This has certainly been an interesting year. First, there is the pandemic that kept many of us home for a while,with some people still remaining at home. Then there was Tropical Storm Isaias, which wreaked havoc in NewJersey and other states. Half the Town of Springfield had no power for a few days, including the…
CONGRATULATIONS to ANNE MARIE CATTANE & ADIN SOTO, who were baptized last Sunday atthe 9:00 AM Mass. They were supposed to be baptized at the Easter Vigil, but COVID-19 prevented churchesfrom being open for Holy Week and Easter. As we continue through this pandemic, it seems that there are some people who are disregarding the…
During the course of these past few months, since the Black Lives Matter movement, we have seen a number ofstatues toppled, decapitated, and removed. These include statues of Christopher Columbus and figuresassociated with the Civil War. In addition, other statues and landmarks have been defaced with graffiti. Thesemonuments represented racist events and individuals, and many…
As we continue through this pandemic, it is easy to see why the number of cases keeps rising. Too many of us are not following the protocols needed to prevent the virus from spreading. This is especially true with young adults, some of whom tend to gather in large groups without wearing masks. It happens…
There is no question that this summer is unlike any other that we have known in our lifetime. The places we liketo visit have changed their procedures, events, including wedding receptions, have been canceled, and many whowould have traveled have changed plans because of COVID-19. Most of us have chosen to stay home or close…