Essays and Messages

As we enter the holy season of Advent, the Church invites us once again to lift our eyes toward the horizon of hope. Advent is far more than a countdown to Christmas; it is a sacred journey of expectation, preparation, and renewal. It is a time when the People of God pause long enough to remember that our lives are guided not by chance, but by promise—God’s promise to remain with us and to come to us anew.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his mercy endures forever. Psalm 118

Mindful of my responsibility as a diocesan bishop to safeguard the integrity and unity of the truths of the faith, moral principles, and ecclesiastical discipline in the works of the apostolate pertaining to health care in the Diocese of Trenton (cf. canons 392, 394, 678, and 747). I, Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M. J.C.D., Bishop of Trenton, by the grace of God and the Apostolic See, hereby issue this General Decree in accord with Canon 29 establishing the Seventh Edition of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services as particular law in the Diocese of Trenton.

Our faith calls us to see in every person the image of God, and to welcome the stranger as we would welcome Christ Himself. In these times, when so many families and individuals are displaced by war, poverty, or persecution, the Church must be a beacon of compassion and justice.

“We remember those who were called upon to give all a person can give, and we remember those who were prepared to make that sacrifice if it were demanded of them in the line of duty, though it never was. Most of all, we remember the devotion and gallantry with which all of them ennobled their nation as they became champions of a noble cause (Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States).”

SNAP cuts have left 400,000 NJ households struggling. In Mercer County, food pantry demand is up 20% in recent weeks.

A doctrinal note is an official teaching document of the Dicastery, intended to clarify and safeguard Catholic teaching on particular questions. Unlike legislative or devotional texts, such notes focus on doctrinal accuracy, offering guidance to bishops, pastors, and theologians as they carry out their teaching mission. They serve the unity of faith by addressing misunderstandings and providing clear reference points for the Church’s life and witness with ecumenical sensitivity.

I turn to you once again on behalf of the poor and needy. Families in our community and across America are facing hunger as SNAP and WIC benefits end this weekend. Catholic Charities USA is preparing for a surge in need — and we must be ready.

The word “vocation” means a “call” and it presumes someone calling and someone called. As Catholics, of course, we identify “the caller” as God himself. In our faith, we believe that God has a plan for each of us and that God calls us, invites us to consider that plan and, hopefully, accept it. Different from merely a job, a “vocation” is all-encompassing, requiring a free and willing response and total commitment to the One who calls and to what is asked of us in that call.

As the Church enters the month of November, she invites us to pause, reflect, and lift our hearts toward eternity. This sacred time begins with the Feast of All Saints on November 1 — a radiant celebration of those who have gone before us in faith and now dwell in the light of God’s presence.