We have been informed of an equipment breakdown at Evergreen Printing, which has resulted in a printing and mailing delay of The Monitor Magazine’s September issue.

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the domestic anti-poverty program of the United States Catholic Bishops, works to break the cycle of poverty in America by helping low-income people participate in decisions that affect their lives, families and communities, on local and national levels.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, issued the annual Labor Day statement on rebuilding after the devastation of the global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus.

Church leaders have called upon the faithful to remember in prayer several crises that continue to bring suffering to individuals and nations. The Diocese of Trenton echoes this call and encourages its community to pray the Rosary in support of the need for solidarity and racial justice and in response to Bishop David M. O’Connell’s Aug. 17 invitation to his flock to pray the Rosary with him daily for the needs of the nation.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., issued this appeal to his flock Sept. 1:  Hurricane Laura has wreaked havoc in Louisiana and Texas, and devastating families, damaging and destroying homes and churches.  Here in New Jersey we are quite familiar with such experiences.  I invite you to consider contributing a gift to help rebuild and restore the lives of our affected sisters and brothers and their families through these dioceses or their Catholic Charities agencies.

The weekend of Sept. 5-6 has been designated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for the annual national second collection taken for The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C. The faithful of the Diocese of Trenton are asked to generously support the collection as they are able when it is taken in all parishes this weekend.

When Bishop David M. O'Connell, C.M., made the difficult, but inevitable decision in late March that the churches would need to temporarily close because of the coronavirus pandemic, he knew that the shutdown would exact a profound toll on the parish communities, both spiritually and financially.

As guidance from public health authorities continues to be refined about the return in in-person learning during concerns of COVID-19, the Diocese’s Department of Catholic Schools has issued an updated and detailed list of requirements for diocesan and parish Catholic schools in Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Since it became clear this past spring that the coronavirus risk would still be a factor as our Catholic schools prepare to return to the classroom,

On July 16, 2020, the Diocese’s third-party software and cloud hosting vendor, Blackbaud, informed us that they had suffered a cybersecurity incident in May 2020 which initially raised concerns regarding potential unauthorized access to certain information they maintained. Blackbaud is a vendor providing customer relationship management and financial services tools, focusing on the non-profit sector.  Along with universities, other dioceses and charitable organizations, the Diocese of Trenton has used Blackbaud primarily for these services for more than 20 years. 

Retired Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, a native son and former auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, died July 11 at age 84, it was announced by the Diocese of Buffalo. Bishop Kmiec was born and raised in Trenton, growing up in the city’s St. Hedwig Parish. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Trenton in August 1982 and served the Diocese under then-Bishop John C. Reiss until he was named 10th bishop of Nashville in October 1992. He served in Nashville for 12 years until he was appointed Bishop of Buffalo in October 2004, retiring from there in May 2012.

WASHINGTON – Following the publication of a national news story on Catholic churches receiving loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, issued the following statement in response:

An article written by the Associated Press and published by multiple media outlets July 10 seems to call into question the legitimacy of the Church’s request for COVID relief funding made available through the U.S. government.  The Diocese of Trenton has responded to this article with the following statement:

Every man’s journey in becoming a priest is unique and inspiring in its own way. But few men have followed the extraordinary path that Deacon Stephen Sansevere has taken on the way to his priestly ordination.

WASHINGTON — Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, the acting chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty has encouraged Catholics to pray and uphold religious liberty at home and abroad during Religious Freedom Week 2020. Commencing on June 22, the Feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, Religious Freedom Week runs through June 29, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. The theme chosen for this year is “For the Good of All.”

The Third Order Regular Franciscans, Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, announced today (June 16, 2020) that an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor, made against Father Gabriel J. Zeis, T.O.R., has been found to be not credible.

Some of the precautions put in place in March to protect the public from the spread of the coronavirus meant that individuals who died – whether from the virus or another cause – could not be remembered and mourned in the customary manner.

Media reports have indicated significant spikes in coronavirus cases in 21 states that have re-opened or relaxed restrictions.  To avoid any confusion as the Diocese approaches the first weekend of public in-church Masses, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., reminds the faithful of the established directives:

After the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer and the widespread protest and unrest that have followed, Catholic leaders throughout the nation, including Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., here in the Diocese of Trenton, have issued clear condemnation of the systemic racism that has sometimes led to injustice at the hands of law enforcement against members of the black community.  In many cases, these statements have echoed the teaching that was expressed in the 2018 document of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love, A Pastoral Letter Against Racism." The U.S. bishops overwhelmingly approved a pastoral letter against racism Nov. 14 during their fall general meeting at Baltimore.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., has announced new liturgical and pastoral directives during the COVID-19 pandemic, including limited “in church” weekend Masses beginning June 13-14, with Mass schedules to be determined by pastors.