Annual Report

Click here for the Annual Report (13000 KB, pdf)
For fiscal year July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

In the Annual Report you will see that the Diocese of Metuchen was able to accomplish much during the 2010-2011 Fiscal Year. It was a time when the return on our investments continued to rebound and many generous people contributed to our Annual Appeal. The funds provided from these sources, together with assessments and other revenues, enabled our diocesan departments and offi ces to provide services and programs which enlightened and enriched the lives of many.

Three diocesan offi ces responded to people’s desire to learn about the Bible. The Office of Evangelization presented a course, Prepare to Lead Bible Training, which was held in a different parish each month from September 2010 to May 2011. The Office of Family Life launched a very popular series, Bible Study for Maturing Catholics, which was held over eight weeks. And in September 2010, the Office of Catechesis sponsored the fi rst in a seven-session faith formation series entitled, The Bible: Root of our Catholic Faith.

The diocesan Office of Worship and Episcopal Ceremonies continued to prepare pastors, clergy, and lay leaders for the introduction of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal. In addition, the offi ce sponsored other programs including ones for Eucharistic Ministers, readers and those involved in hospitality ministry.

Our diocesan Office of Schools presented many programs from crisis planning and leadership training for principals to advancement webinars and marketing programs for school staff. It assisted schools with the establishment of School Advisory Councils, and in June 2010, once again conducted its Bishop’s School for eighth grade students.

To engage and energize our young people in their faith, the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry conducted faith formation programs, sponsored retreats, and held meetings on how to connect young adults to Catholic parishes. Our Diocesan Youth Day brought many young people to our Pastoral Center, and it was wonderful to once again present St. Timothy awards to youth who were recognized for helping others and serving as young role models in their parishes, schools and communities.

It is also gratifying to report to you that, through the efforts of our Office of Vocations, we now have more seminarians than ever before and in 2011 ordained three priests. Our Office of the Diaconate continued preparing 11 men in its tenth formation program and accepted 22 men into its 2015 class. Through your generosity, the diocese is able to offset the classes in which our clergy enroll.

Helping our diocese plan for the future, the Department of Diocesan Planning continued its work on implementing the Future Staffing of Parishes policy issued in May 2010. The department worked with parishes involved in the Renewing the Church restructuring process and held a summit on multiple parish pastoring. It was the department’s responsibility, too, to help each of our parishes implement a pastoral council.

Assisting the poor, the homeless, the marginalized in our diocese day in and day out, is our diocesan Department of Social Services, better known as Catholic Charities. It is the largest social service agency in New Jersey and your contributions help make their work possible.

To reach more of our faithful with news, faith formation articles, and inspirational stories, at the beginning of the 2010-2011 Fiscal Year, the diocese took a bold step and began distributing our diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Spirit to all parishes every other week. Later in the year to make it easier for our priests to attend diocesan meetings, we installed videoconferencing equipment in the pastoral center and in each of the diocese’s four counties: Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren. Then to improve communications between the diocese and parishes, we launched an extranet, a secure, internal website.

Besides all these efforts, there are many, many more which I could write about. I encourage you to learn about them by visiting our newly redesigned website at www.diometuchen.org; reading The Catholic Spirit or signing up for our free e-Weekly. We are truly blessed by the people who minister in our diocese and those who support our efforts.

I pray that God will continue to give us the grace, the wisdom and the vision to carry out His work in this part of his Vineyard, the Diocese of Metuchen.

Sincerely in the Lord,

Most Reverend Paul G. Bootkoski

Bishop of Metuchen