Papal encyclicals have long served as a privileged means by which the Successor of Peter offers guidance to the Church and the world. Addressed primarily to bishops but intended for all the faithful, they illuminate moral, theological and social questions that require thoughtful discernment. While not typically issued as infallible ex cathedra (from the chair) teachings, encyclicals carry significant doctrinal authority as expressions of the pope’s ordinary Magisterium and often set the pastoral priorities of a pontificate.

Papal encyclicals have long served as a privileged means by which the Successor of Peter offers guidance to the Church and the world. Addressed primarily to bishops but intended for all the faithful, they illuminate moral, theological and social questions that require thoughtful discernment. While not typically issued as infallible ex cathedra (from the chair) teachings, encyclicals carry significant doctrinal authority as expressions of the pope’s ordinary Magisterium and often set the pastoral priorities of a pontificate.

MEMORIAL DAY IS OBSERVED THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES on the last Monday in May. This national holiday is widely considered the beginning of summer, a few weeks shy of the actual calendar date. Many families celebrate by displaying the flag, attending parades and carnivals, opening swimming pools, having backyard barbecues and, for many, taking a day off from work or school. Another custom regularly followed is the traditional visit to cemeteries where members of the military who gave their lives for our country are buried.

THE SACRED SCRIPTURES REMIND US THAT “the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit dwelling with us” (Romans 5:5). As we come to the close of the Easter Season and celebrate the great Solemnity of Pentecost – the “birthday of the Church” – we rejoice in the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to remain with us always through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Memorial Day is observed throughout the United States on the last Monday in May. This national holiday is widely considered the beginning of summer, a few weeks shy of the actual calendar date. Many families celebrate by displaying the flag, attending parades and carnivals, opening swimming pools, having backyard barbecues and, for many, taking a day off from work or school. Another custom regularly followed is the traditional visit to cemeteries where members of the military who gave their lives for our country are buried.

The Sacred Scriptures remind us that “the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit dwelling with us” (Romans 5:5). As we come to the close of the Easter Season and celebrate the great Solemnity of Pentecost – the “birthday of the Church” – we rejoice in the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to remain with us always through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“Security funding helps schools strengthen entrances, improve communication systems, coordinate with law enforcement, and prepare responsibly for emergencies,” said Milecki. “At its core, this is about ensuring that every child can learn in a safe environment grounded in faith, stability, and community.”

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During National Police Week, the Diocese of Trenton joins communities across our nation in honoring the women and men who serve in law enforcement and remembering especially those who have given their lives in the line of duty. Their work often places them in difficult and dangerous situations, requiring courage, sacrifice and a deep commitment to the common good.

Since 2022, the dioceses of New Jersey have celebrated the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord on the Seventh Sunday of Easter, rather than on the traditional Thursday, 40 days after Easter. While some dioceses in the United States — including Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Hartford and Omaha — continue to observe Ascension Thursday, the Bishops of New Jersey, after consultation with pastors, discerned that celebrating the Ascension on Sunday allows far more of the faithful to participate in this important feast.

During National Police Week, the Diocese of Trenton joins communities across our nation in honoring the women and men who serve in law enforcement and remembering especially those who have given their lives in the line of duty. Their work often places them in difficult and dangerous situations, requiring courage, sacrifice and a deep commitment to the common good.

NICHOLAS ALESCIO AND BENEDICT QUIAMBAO will be ordained deacons by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., May 16 at 10 a.m. in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton.

With this month's observance of Mothers Day, let us keep the gift of our mothers before us and remember them in our daily prayers.

Love for Mary is as natural to the Christian as love for one’s own mother. She is, after all, the Mother of the Lord Jesus, who is at once our Savior and our Brother. In honoring her, we do not turn away from Christ but toward him more perfectly. As St. Louis-Marie de Montfort reminds us, we never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, for we go to her only as a sure path leading to him. We worship Christ as God; we love and venerate Mary as his Mother — and as ours.

May arrives each year like a gentle homily written in blossoms and light. The darkness of winter gives way to color, warmth and new life. The Easter season unfolds in hope; and the Church, in her wisdom, invites us to turn our hearts in a particular way to Mary, the Mother of God and Mother of the Church. It is not by accident that this month — so alive with beauty — is dedicated to the one through whom Life Himself came into the world.

I have been informed by a number of priests about several attempted celebrations of marriage within the Diocese of Trenton (Mercer, Burlington, Monmouth and Ocean Counties) by former priests or others posing as bishops or priests who are not authorized by the Roman Catholic Church and the Diocese of Trenton to witness or officiate at weddings, thus making any attempted marriages of Catholics performed by them invalid.

I have been informed by a number of priests about several attempted celebrations of marriage within the Diocese of Trenton (Mercer, Burlington, Monmouth and Ocean Counties) by former priests or others posing as bishops or priests who are not authorized by the Roman Catholic Church and the Diocese of Trenton to witness or officiate at weddings, thus making any attempted marriages of Catholics performed by them invalid.

Leaders and supporters of Trenton-based Mount Carmel Guild are aiming to slap an expiration date on the hunger that impacts its community by taking on the issue of food insecurity.