Saints Cyril and Methodius Roman Catholic Church

Our nation and, more specifically, those of us who live in the metropolitan New York area, marked the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 Islamist terrorist attacks on the U.S. with prayers and sorrow at the massive loss of life that day in 2001 with our solemn vow “never to forget.”

Later this year, the non-profit Operation Chillout is looking forward to enacting its plan of giving the first of five homeless veterans the opportunity to engage in some old-fashioned therapy: working on re-entry into society, in part by learning how to work the land of a local farm while at the same time residing in a custom-designed mirco-home on the property.

Parishioners of Holy Spirit in Pequannock welcomed Bishop Serratelli, who made a pastoral visit there Sept. 9 to celebrate the 11 a.m. Mass for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. During the Mass, the Bishop acknowledged the parish school, Holy Spirit School, and its principal, Filippini Sister Marie Antonelli, who celebrated her 60th anniversary in religious life this year.

The faithful will have the opportunity to venerate the relics of St. Anthony of Padua — the patron saint of finding lost items — from Oct. 4 to 14. Over those 10 days, two of St. Anthony’s first-class relics will visit five churches in the Diocese for public veneration — part of a larger tour that will reach other locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

This past weekend, the 2018 Bishop’s Annual Appeal (BAA) kicked off at Masses in parishes across the Diocese giving the faithful once again the opportunity to support the good works of the Church of Paterson. Led by the theme, “Here I Am, Lord,” the Appeal invites parishioners to help fund ministries that serve the poor, sick, and needy through Catholic Charities; urban elementary school students; education needs for diocesan seminarians and priests’ healthcare, including support for Nazareth Village, the diocesan home for retired priests in Chester.

Bishop Serratelli honored 106 individuals, couples and families at this year’s diocesan Vivere Christus Est awards ceremony. The honorees were called “manifestations of God’s compassion and love to their communities and the world.”

Hero. It’s a word we hear less frequently these days when our world, our nation and our Church seem turned upside down. But it’s a word that certainly fits Father Vincent Capodanno, and his story needs to be told over and over again.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln Park where he celebrated the 10 a.m. Mass for the Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Sept. 2.