News - February 2026 RSS Feed

In response to this issue, the New Jersey Catholic Conference has posted an Action Alert, offering an online option to contact New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill to express support for increasing funding for nonpublic school security from $205 to $260 per pupil in the state’s next budget, which takes effect July 1.

As public institutions receive additional funding to bolster security in their facilities, Catholic school leaders and advocated in the Diocese of Trenton and across the state are urging support for a proposed increase in state funding that would facilitate similar measures in nonpublic schools.

The Chancery building in Lawrenceville will be closed Monday, Feb. 23, due to inclement weather. The Chancery staff will work remotely and can be reached via email. Stay warm and safe!

BISHOP DAVID M. O’CONNELL, C.M., HAS CANCELED THE RITE OF ELECTION scheduled for Sunday, February 22 at 3:00 p.m., due to the timing of the snowfall and concern for safety. Bishop O’Connell has delegated the Rite of Election to pastors. As many parishes had already scheduled a Rite of Sending for Sunday morning, replacement with the Rite of Election, or with the combined Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, is recommended.

“Let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us. Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others. Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love (Pope Leo XIV, Message for Lent 2026).”

The season that begins on Ash Wednesday, once marked by an unmistakably sober tone, has gradually taken on a more inviting character. The Church has never abandoned the penitential heart of Lent, but she now often expresses it in ways that accent the more life-giving and transformative rather than simply things burdensome. Sacrifice remains important – but it is no longer meant to stand alone.

The season that begins on Ash Wednesday, once marked by an unmistakably sober tone, has gradually taken on a more inviting character. The Church has never abandoned the penitential heart of Lent, but she now often expresses it in ways that accent the more life-giving and transformative rather than simply things burdensome. Sacrifice remains important – but it is no longer meant to stand alone.

In his 2026 message for the annual World Day of the Sick, our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV invites us to contemplate the Good Samaritan and to rediscover what true compassion really is. He reminds us that the Samaritan “does not remain at a distance, does not look away, does not pass by, but draws near, bends down, and takes upon himself the pain of the wounded man.”

In his 2026 message for the annual World Day of the Sick, our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV invites us to contemplate the Good Samaritan and to rediscover what true compassion really is. He reminds us that the Samaritan “does not remain at a distance, does not look away, does not pass by, but draws near, bends down, and takes upon himself the pain of the wounded man.”

As the Church in the United States joins together to celebrate National Marriage Week, I am grateful, as Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, for the opportunity to reflect with you on the beauty, dignity, and mission of Christian marriage. This year, beginning with World Marriage Day on February 8 and continuing through February 14, the Catholic community of our nation pauses to honor the vocation that stands at the heart of family life and serves as one of the most powerful witnesses to God’s faithful love in our world.

Since 2000 the ACA has been the principal fundraiser of the Diocese, inviting the faithful to help support the needs of both individual parishes and diocesan ministries, including faith formation, outreach to those facing hardships, ministries to families, youth and young adults, and much more.

The Diocese of Trenton stands in deep solidarity with our Haitian brothers and sisters here – approximately 2,000 – many of whom worship, serve and lead within our own parish communities. Their faith, resilience and cultural richness are a blessing to our local Church.

The Diocese of Trenton stands in deep solidarity with our Haitian brothers and sisters here – approximately 2,000 – many of whom worship, serve and lead within our own parish communities. Their faith, resilience and cultural richness are a blessing to our local Church. In light of the ongoing crisis in Haiti – marked by widespread violence, political instability and life‑threatening conditions – I join my brother U.S. bishops in expressing grave concern for Haitian families in the United States who now face the loss of “Temporary Protected Status (TPS),” as of February 3, 2026 (officially announced in the Federal Register by the Department of Homeland Security on November 26, 2025).