Essays and Messages

Today, as we celebrate World Mission Sunday, I want to speak to you personally about something very close to the heart of the Church–and very close to my heart as your Bishop: our responsibility to share Jesus Christ with the world.

The month of October is filled with a series of commemorations and celebrations to be observed in the Catholic Church. As Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, I write to highlight some of these.

DUE TO THE GOVERNOR'S DECLARATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY (see below), I will issue a dispensation from Sunday Mass obligation for Monmouth and Ocean Counties this weekend. If further cancellations are necessary, pastors can make and announce those decisions.

As September rolls around and summer begins to fade, nature introduces us to the beginning of the Fall season: The air begins to change; days grow shorter; the brilliant greens of summer slowly yield to the golds, oranges and reds of autumn. We recognize, once again, that God has woven change into the fabric of creation. Nothing remains exactly as it was, yet nothing is outside His loving providence. As one season ends, another begins, inviting us to embrace what God is preparing. And so it goes.

The beginning of a new school year always brings with it a wonderful mixture of anticipation and excitement. It’s hard to believe the time is already here again! Classrooms are prepared, schedules are finalized, books and supplies are gathered, and teachers and administrators welcome students back through the doors of our Catholic schools. There is something hopeful about beginning again.

On Aug. 20, 2026, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed S2260/A2218 into law. According to its sponsors and the Governor's office, the legislation is intended to strengthen New Jersey's protections for individuals seeking, providing, or assisting with reproductive health care services. Among other provisions, it expands existing “shield law” protections, establishes new criminal offenses and civil remedies for certain interference with reproductive health care services, strengthens privacy protections, and provides additional protections against certain legal actions originating in other states

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven falls on Saturday August 15 this year and, although this year it is NOT a day of obligation, it remains a pre-eminent Marian feast that should be honored and remembered as a holy day. In the Diocese of Trenton, Mary Queen of the Assumption is our diocesan patroness and the name of our Cathedral. Please, permit me to share some reflections about this solemn feast with you.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., has called for prayers after receiving the news about the earthquake to hit Colombia and Ecuador early Aug. 10. The Bishop stated, “As of this writing, we are aware that the earthquake has taken dozens of lives and impacted thousands of people who are injured, displaced and terrified

The sobering reality is that, since 1973, according to the Guttmacher Institute, more than 63 million abortions have been performed in the United States, twice the population of the entire state of Texas. In fact, most countries in the world have populations under 63 million! Contributing to these alarming US statistics is the increased availability of abortion-inducing drugs (specifically mifepristone), first made officially available by mail in December 2021.

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.