As Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, I welcome the apostolic letter issued today “motu proprio” (“on his own initiative”) by His Holiness Pope Francis, “Antiquum Ministerium” (Ancient Ministry), officially establishing the “lay ministry of Catechist” in the Church.
Tracing the existence of the broadest participation of the entire Church – bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated religious and baptized lay women and men, especially parents – in the work of evangelization from the Church’s earliest days, Pope Francis highlights the involvement of the baptized laity in this critically important ministry to reach and teach the young as they grow in their Catholic faith.
This initiative will help the Diocese of Trenton to strengthen and support its already effective efforts to evangelize and share our Catholic faith as a “common task” and a “saving mission” through the institution of this officially established, stable ministry. I look forward to its development and implementation throughout the four counties of our Diocese.
To read his full message click here.
To read a story from Catholic News Service click here.
To read Antiquum Ministerium click here.
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The faithful across the Diocese of Trenton are being encouraged to show support for Catholic media during the annual Catholic Communication Campaign, which will be taken in all parishes May 15-16.
The CCC collection, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is designed to support the Church’s efforts to spread the Gospel message in both the United States and developing countries. The campaign is built around World Communications Day, which falls on May 16, with the theme “Come and See: Communicating by Encountering People as They Are.”
Half of all donations collected in the Diocese of Trenton stay in the Diocese to support local communication work, including the production and/or publication of videos, podcasts, website and social media content and The Monitor Magazine’s print and digital editions, all of which have been even more crucial with COVID-19 restrictions still keeping many at home.
While the communication needs have grown during the pandemic, support of the CCC decreased with limited church attendance. Total collections in the Diocese reached well over $85,000 in both 2018 and 2019 but dropped to under $23,000 in 2020. Church leaders are hoping to see the traditional level of support restored.
For more information click here.
