BISHOP DAVID M. O'CONNELL, C.M., EXTENDS HIS CONGRATULATIONS to our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV as he receives the 38th Annual Liberty Medal on July 3, 2026, from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The award recognizes the Holy Father’s lifelong work promoting religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression around the world, ideals enshrined by America’s founders in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

THE CHANCERY IN LAWRENCEVILLE will be closed Friday, July 3, for Independence Day. Regular office hours will resume, Monday, July 6.

In response to the catastrophic twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela June 24, 2026, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., asked the faithful of the Diocese of Trenton to pray for the victims and support the relief effort.

In response to the catastrophic twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela June 24, 2026, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., asked the faithful of the Diocese of Trenton to pray for the victims and support the relief effort.

Ginther, diocesan chancellor and executive director of Pastoral Life and Mission, was feted June 25 during a Mass of Thanksgiving in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, with Bishop O’Connell serving as principal celebrant and homilist. He was joined by some 40 concelebrating priests, many who benefited over the years from Ginther’s counsel and collaboration.

With school on break and the pace of daily responsibilities easing, we find more time for the people who matter most. Picnics and barbecues, trips to the shore or the mountains, long evenings of sunlight and star‑filled skies, games in the backyard, parish carnivals, outdoor concerts, leisurely walks, renewed exercise, gardening, and the taste of fresh strawberries, Jersey tomatoes and corn on the cob – all of these moments and things remind us in summertime how richly God blesses us through creation and through one another.

Summer invites us to slow down and rediscover the simple blessings God places in our lives. With school on break and the pace of daily responsibilities easing, we find more time for the people who matter most. Picnics and barbecues, trips to the shore or the mountains, long evenings of sunlight and star‑filled skies, games in the backyard, parish carnivals, outdoor concerts, leisurely walks, renewed exercise, gardening, and the taste of fresh strawberries, Jersey tomatoes and corn on the cob – all of these moments and things remind us in summertime how richly God blesses us through creation and through one another.

IN OBSERVANCE OF FATHER’S DAY, let us keep the gift of our fathers before us and remember them in our daily prayers. Blessings to all our fathers, from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.

THE CHANCERY OFFICES IN LAWRENCEVILLE will be closed today, Friday, June 19, in observance of the federal holiday, Juneteenth. Office hours will resume Monday at 9 a.m.

BISHOP O’CONNELL INVITES ALL THE CLERGY, SEMINARIANS, RELIGIOUS AND FAITHFUL of the Diocese of Trenton to pray the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) “Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart” throughout this week as the USCCB celebrates the 250th anniversary of our nation by dedicating the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Thursday, June 11, the Vigil of this Solemnity.”

Outside my office window at the chancery, two flags rise and fall together in the same breeze—the “Stars and Stripes” of the United States of America and the yellow-and-white banner of the Holy See. Their colors catch the morning light in different ways, yet they move in a shared rhythm, reminding me that the story of this nation and the history of the Church --- although the Church is far more ancient --- have long unfolded side by side.

THE MONTH OF JUNE IS TRADITIONALLY DEDICATED to the Sacred Heart. On June 11, 2026, as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. bishops will consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Catholic faith communities around the country are encouraged to join the bishops in celebrating the consecration of our nation to the Sacred Heart through their own prayer and acts of devotion.

The month of June is traditionally dedicated to the Sacred Heart. On June 11, 2026, as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. bishops will consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Catholic faith communities around the country are encouraged to join the bishops in celebrating the consecration of our nation to the Sacred Heart through their own prayer and acts of devotion.

MRS. DENISE CONTINO, DIRECTOR OF CATECHESIS, has been appointed as Executive Director of Pastoral Life and Mission of the Diocese of Trenton, effective July 1, 2026.

Editor’s note: In light of Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical on artificial intelligence, we are re-posting a pastoral reflection on the topic written by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., from last December.

Editor’s note: In light of Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical on artificial intelligence, we are re-posting a pastoral reflection on the topic written by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., from last December.

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.