Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. shares the following message on solitude during this Christmas season.

“Sometimes, when you’re all alone – as we have often been throughout these many months of pandemic – you hear things differently, more clearly than when you’re surrounded by others in a crowded room, in a class, in an office where the phone keeps ringing and people file in and out. Or on a busy street, a crowded train or bus, sitting in traffic that doesn’t seem to move.

Sometimes, an empty church may be the place where things sound different than they do when preachers preach and choirs sing. Things you may have heard a thousand times before: a Bible text, a poem, an article you’ve read and talked about; a phrase or saying, song or conversation that you’ve had with others. Or, perhaps, in these December days, a Christmas carol. Familiar, yes, but strange in a sudden newness.”

Click here to read Bishop O’Connell’s full message.

Click here to listen to Bishop’s podcast message.

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A virtual mini-concert from The Diocesan Festival Choir, with guests from the St. Anthony Padua Parish Choir, Red Bank, share the gift of music as we celebrate Christmas during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  With an intro from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., the video is serving as the Diocese’s Video Christmas Card.  The hope is to bring a little Christmas joy to the world as we continue to live in isolation during this special season.

Click here to read about this project and to view the video.