Saints Cyril and Methodius Roman Catholic Church

The faith community of St. James of the Marches Parish in Totowa on May 20 welcomed Bishop Serratelli, who made a pastoral visit and served as main celebrant and homilist of the noon Mass for Pentecost. During the liturgy, he administered the sacrament of Confirmation on 19 10th-grade candidates and two candidates from the parish’s Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program.

It was about science and more at the STEM Symposium for elementary schools in the Diocese of Paterson. These were student projects with a purpose: a demonstration on how to shelter the displaced, a better way to engineer weather-resistant roofing tiles to withstand hurricanes and vertical gardens to feed the malnourished. A dozen elementary schools from the diocese participated in the symposium at Caldwell University May 15 showcasing projects that were created over the course of the academic year and included every grade.

Prayers from near and far have been pouring in for the Salesian Sisters of St. Jo­seph’s Province after an early morning blaze on May 18 destroyed the chapel at Mary Help of Chris­tians Academy in North Haledon — a tragedy which has torn at the spiritual heart of this dynamic religious community and the school it operates.

The Diocese honored 79 religious sisters and priests, who are celebrating significant anniversaries in religious life this year, for their faithful service to God and his people, during a Mass on May 19 at St. Mary’s Assumption Church in Passaic. The liturgy also commemorated World Day of Consecrated Life in the universal Church held on Feb. 2. Bishop Serratelli, main celebrant and homilist of the well-attended Mass, thanked the honored religious and praised them for showing the Church how to live, love and minister in the context of community.

Bishop Serratelli will ordain nine transitional deacons of the Diocese to the priesthood during a Mass at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 26 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. The ordination will be live streamed on the Diocesan website, www.rcdop.org.

A bipartisan bill introduced in Congress this month would make it easier for Americans to receive tax deductions for charitable giving, regardless of whether they itemize on their tax returns. The Charitable Giving Tax Deduction Act would make charitable deductions “above-the-line,” meaning adjusted gross income would be reduced. This would allow taxpayers to write off charitable deductions regardless of whether households decide to itemize. Under the legislation, charitable contributions would not be capped.

The faith community of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in the Haskell section of Wanaque on Saturday, May 12 welcomed Bishop Serratelli, who served as main celebrant and homilist of the 5:30 p.m. vigil Mass for the Seventh Sunday of Easter. During the liturgy, the Bishop formally installed Father Greg Golba, as pastor of the Upper Passaic County parish.

Bishop Serratelli served as main celebrant and homilist of the 11:45 a.m. Mass on May 13 for the Seventh Sunday of Easter. During the liturgy, the Bishop administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to five young people.