Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., continues his Advent series with a compilation for Week 2,  “For your reflection, meditation and prayer, drawn from the Church’s rich spiritual history.” In a compilation for Week 2, the Bishop quotes several sources, including Pope Benedict XVI, who wrote: It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in[…]

This weekend, Dec. 5, the 17 Guadalupe Torches will come together for the fifth annual Las Antorchas Guadalupanas Mass. The Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, by Msgr. Joseph Roldan, Cathedral rector. It will be livestreamed in both Spanish and English on all diocesan media outlets.[…]

Tomorrow, the Diocese of Trenton invites its faith community to support Catholic schools by participating in #GivingTuesday on Dec. 1. Supporters are asked to make a donation, and/or to commit to volunteer for their local Catholic school or to offer prayers for the mission of Catholic education. Funds collected will benefit the Catholic Schools Have it All[…]

A reflection series by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. The word “advent” comes from the Latin term adventus, literally meaning “coming to.”  The four weeks of the season of Advent before Christmas create a unique season of hope-filled preparation for all of us in the Catholic Christian community — although it can easily be missed[…]

Thanksgiving: Taking gratitude a step further A message from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. Gratitude and thanksgiving are certainly admirable human qualities and the source of many social graces.  That we Americans devote a whole day to lift them up and celebrate them is equally admirable.  The final Thursday in November is the day we[…]

As COVID-19 vaccines draw closer to completion and distribution, so, too, have questions as to the moral implications surrounding them. To assist the faithful in understanding these questions, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., is sharing the following pertinent information from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Doctrine and Pro-Life Committees issued November 23, 2020.[…]

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., will be principal celebrant of a Mass of Christian Burial for Father Rocco A. Cuomo, a retired priest of the Diocese who died Nov. 21. The Mass will be at 11 a.m. Nov. 25 in St. Leo the Great Church, 50 Hurleys Lane, Lincroft, where Father Cuomo most recently served as[…]

The national collection to support the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) marks 50 years this November, and with the continued global pandemic, help is needed more than ever. Coinciding this year with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, on Nov. 21-22, the U.S. Catholic bishops’ domestic anti-poverty program is[…]

A message from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. The proposed New Jersey “Reproductive Freedom Act” (S3030 / A4848) is another legislative attempt to advance and expand the state’s “abortion agenda” in service to the widespread “culture of death” by eliminating the few remaining state regulations intended to protect the life and health of pregnant mothers. […]

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., participated in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ annual fall meeting Nov. 16-17.  Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the meeting was conducted using a virtual format. Bishop O’Connell’s report from Nov. 17 follows: The second day of the annual USCCB Fall Meeting began with the bishops of New Jersey and Pennsylvania gathering[…]