Bishop's Message for the Ascension · Catholic Communications Campaign · Monitor publication change

SINCE 2022, THE SOLEMN FEAST OF THE ASCENSION HAS BEEN CELEBRATED in the dioceses of New Jersey on the weekend of the 7th Sunday of Easter rather than on its traditional Thursday date, 40 days after Easter.  Although some U.S. dioceses have maintained the Thursday placement on the liturgical calendar (Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Hartford and Omaha), the Bishops of New Jersey --- after consultation with some of their pastors --- determined that the change to the 7^th Sunday of Easter fostered greater participation of Catholics at Mass, allowing for more Catholics to reflect on the significance of Christ’s Ascension. Sunday is already a “day of obligation.” 

The feast itself commemorates our belief that the Risen Lord Jesus, gathered with his disciples on Mount Tabor near Jerusalem, ascended body and soul into heaven, returning to his Father. We look to the New Testament to support that belief.

Read the full message HERE.

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THIS YEAR, IN OBSERVANCE OF THE 59TH WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY on June 1, the Diocese of Trenton joins its counterparts around the nation in participation of the annual Catholic Communications Campaign sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CCC collection will be held at Masses in all parishes of the Diocese the weekend of May 31-June 1.
Half of the funds collected in each diocese will be directed to the national campaign’s grant program supporting projects that use media to spread the Gospel message and advance the USCCB’s general mission goals. Grants have typically been earmarked for the efforts of local dioceses in adapting to technological and demographic changes, upgrading audio and video production capabilities, producing high-quality podcasts and YouTube videos, and much more.

The remaining 50% of the CCC collection taken up in the Diocese of Trenton will remain local to subsidize diocesan media outreach across digital, social and print formats.  According to Rayanne Bennett, the Diocese’s executive director of Communications and Media, the generous donations of parishioners help to fund the robust network of communications efforts that includes the creation and publication of news content by The Monitor in its magazine and on its website; livestreaming of key Masses and other events as well as video production, and a daily push on social media to maximize engagement with the Catholic community of the Diocese.

Learn more HERE.

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IN MAY, THE MONITOR PUBLISHED A SPECIAL ISSUE ON POPE LEO XIV. To accommodate that additional publication, we have consolidated the regular June issue and the GRADUATION issue into a combined edition that will come out in mid-June.

Please watch for what promises to be compelling coverage of the priestly Ordination of Rev. Mr. Alan Bridges, as well as a special tribute to the Class of 2025 as they graduate from Catholic schools in the Diocese.  The issue will also include a robust collection of Catholic-based stories from around the Diocese, the nation and the world.

Interested readers can subscribe to the diocesan magazine in time to receive the June issue by visiting: dioceseoftrenton.org/monitor-subscriptions

Single copies of The Monitor Magazine’s June issue will be available (while supplies last) by calling 609-403-7169 or writing to [email protected].