Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,   It is not easy to slow ourselves in these days of summer. The summer months may have at one time represented quieted lifestyles and slowed news cycles but now, both seem to be operating at an all-time high, as our minds continuously churn with information about the latest coronavirus updates, Olympic medals won, and, yes, even news about our Catholic Church.

PISCATAWAY – Adding to the systems already in place to report abuse within its boundaries, the Diocese of Metuchen today announced the implementation of an independent third-party reporting system that will allow any person who suspects financial impropriety or other violations of the Diocese of Metuchen’s Pastoral Code of Conduct, to file an anonymous and confidential report.

As the world awaits to hear updates from the Holy See on the continued recovery of Pope Francis after his surgery last weekend, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued the following statement:

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations has shared the results of the study A Portrait of the Permanent Diaconate: A Study for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 2020-2021. This annual survey, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University, provides an illustration of the state of the permanent diaconate in the United States, including the number of those ordained and retired in the past year, percentages of those involved in various Church ministries, and other demographic information.

At this time, due to the observance of public safety protocols and the increase in the availability of vaccines, we have begun a return to some sense of normalcy in various sectors of our society.

My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It is hard to believe that the Easter season is nearly at a close. As we draw near to Pentecost, a time of renewal for our Church, I find myself eagerly awaiting that renewal – how it is needed in our day. This has been a challenging year, in what seems to be a series of them, but the Holy Spirit’s coming on Pentecost is a reminder to us that even though at times it would seem easier to hide in the Upper Room as the Apostles did for a time, fortified by the Holy Spirit, we are called as Jesus’ disciples to journey through our lives with holiness and boldness.

The Bishops of New Jersey have recently voted to transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord from Thursday, May 13th to Sunday, May 16th (replacing the Seventh Sunday of Easter). Cardinal Tobin has made it clear that this change is for this year only.

METUCHEN – The Most Reverend James F. Checchio, JCD, MBA, Bishop of Metuchen, will preside at Holy Week and Easter liturgies and services at the following locations. All are welcome and encouraged to participate, but due to limited seating capacity and to allow for proper distancing, congregants may be required to register with the parish in advance to attend in-person.

In less than a week, we will enter into Holy Week, the most sacred days of the year. Through the liturgical celebrations of the week and as we read the Lord’s Passion, we will reflect on Christ’s triumphal procession into Jerusalem and then follow Him on the way of the cross, where we will witness His agony and suffering.

CLINTON, N.J. – The women housed at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, the only women’s prison in the state of New Jersey, seem to have the cards stacked against them.

PISCATAWAY – In the face of a pandemic, with many people struggling to make ends meet, Bishop James F. Checchio today announced the establishment of a new secretariat in the Diocese of Metuchen – the Secretariat for Charity.

METUCHEN – Fran Johnson is a retired schoolteacher. Frank McCann has years of experience in accounting. Both are parishioners of St. Matthias Parish in Somerset, and both were recently recognized for their efforts to support human life.

We, the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey, ask Catholics and people of good will to join us on Friday January 22, 2021, the 48th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, in a Day of Prayer and Fasting to end abortion. 

METUCHEN – The miracle of Christmas reminds us that Christ was born into this world to save us from spiritual darkness, the Bishop of Metuchen told the faithful of the diocese.

METUCHEN – We can never doubt for one moment that Mary is with us at this time, Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen said on the vigil of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

PISCATAWAY – Like Catholic dioceses across the nation and even around the world, the Diocese of Metuchen eagerly awaited the release of the Holy See’s findings of its investigation into disgraced former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick – and the report finally came

KENDALL PARK – Daniel Mark Anderl had just celebrated his 20th birthday. A lifelong Catholic and the only child of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas and defense attorney Mark Anderl, Daniel Anderl gave his life to protect his mother and father, taking the shooter’s first bullet directly to the chest, when a man holding a package on their front door step opened fire into the family’s home on July 19.

ASBURY – On the patronal feast day of the Diocese of Metuchen, the Queenship of Mary, and in the open-air National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen ordained five men for service to the priesthood, the largest group of men to be ordained in the diocese in over 25 years.

METUCHEN – When sin entered the world, the mirror image of God was shattered, said Metuchen Bishop James F. Checchio at a June 19 prayer service for racial harmony, peace, justice and healing of the nation, which was held at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi.

Speaking to a group of young black people, all Catholic high school students in the Diocese of Metuchen, the Most Rev. James F. Checchio, Bishop of Metuchen, said, “I’m here to listen to you.”