After a one-year Covid-related hiatus, the Annual Priest Convocation was held Sept. 14-16 in Galloway, bringing together Bishop O’Connell and about 135 priests who serve in the Diocese of Trenton. The opportunity to spend three days together in spiritual talks, prayer and fellowship was well-received by the Bishop and many of the priests attending.

The keynote speaker, Bishop Gregory Studerus of the Archdiocese of Newark, addressed the theme “The Sacred Heart of Jesus and His Priests.” He urged the priests to reflect on the relationship between the Eucharist and their personal life and experience of priesthood; their ministry among the people of God, and in the life of the priest serving in the world.

To read more about the convocation and reflections from priests in attendance, click HERE.

Returning once again to its annual commissioning of catechists for ministry to the community, the Church will celebrate Catechetical Sunday on Sept. 19 with the theme of “Say the Word and My Soul Shall Be Healed.”

Traditionally, on Catechetical Sunday, catechists are formally commissioned for ministry, and they rededicate themselves to this mission in their community.

In honor of Catechetical Sunday, Bishop O’Connell issued a message emphasizing the value of catechists in the important effort of “Keeping the memory of God alive.”  To read the full message or listen to the podcast, click HERE.

To access The Monitor Magazine’s special section on Catechetical Sunday click HERE.

The New Jersey Catholic Bishops issued a provincial statement Sept. 15 recognizing September as National Recovery Month. In the statement, the bishops celebrate those who have achieved recovery and announce the release of new resources to help parishes and other Catholic organizations that seek to serve those who continue to suffer from various forms of addiction.

“September is National Recovery Month, a time during which we celebrate those who have achieved recovery and continue our support of those still working toward it. During this time, we, the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey, are renewing our commitment to helping those suffering from various forms of addiction and we are calling on all Catholics and people of good will to join us in praying for, supporting, and encouraging those working toward recovery.”

To read the full statement and to find additional resources for National Recovery Month, click HERE.

For nearly a half a century, the Catholic Church in the United States has celebrated National Migration Week, which is an opportunity for the Church to reflect on the circumstances confronting migrants, including immigrants, refugees, children, and victims and survivors of human trafficking.

National Migration Week for 2021 takes place Sept. 20-26 and will climax with the Vatican’s celebration of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which always falls on the last Sunday of September. The primary theme for this year’ WDMR is “Towards an ever wider ‘WE.’” 

In his letter announcing this year’s theme, Pope Francis emphasizes that “this focus calls on us to ensure that ‘after all this, we will think no longer in terms of ‘them’ and ‘those,’ but only ‘us’’ (Fratelli tutti, no. 35). And this universal us must become a reality first of all within the Church, which is called to cultivate communion in diversity.”

To read more about National Migration Week, including a Prayer for Migrants from Pope Francis, click HERE.