A Letter from 

Very Rev. Jonathan S. Toborowsky
Administrator

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As Administrator, I present to you the Annual Report of the Diocese of Metuchen. This year it comes to you a bit differently. Rather than our recent tradition of a booklet format, this year we primarily present it here in our diocesan newspaper. For those you know who do not receive the paper, please let them know it is also available in digital format through our diocesan website and on our social media platforms.

Like the format for this year’s report, this whole past year was “a bit different.” As Catholics we mourned the loss of Pope Francis and rejoiced at the election of Pope Leo XIV. Closer to home, we are still a “Vacant See,” since the transfer of Archbishop Checchio to the Archdiocese of New Orleans last November. I hope you join me in offering prayers of gratitude for his years of service to the Church of Metuchen, while also asking the Lord to assist him in his new ministry in the years to come. Finally, we marked the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of 2025.

Since his transfer last November, I’ve been honored to serve as the Administrator of our Diocese, grateful for both the counsel of the College of Consultors and the daily labors of our hard-working diocesan staff. While it is true that some things are temporarily sus-pended when a diocese has no bishop, the bulk of the work goes on. Whether here at the diocesan center, in the various services provided by Catholic Charities in various locations, at St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, in our many Catholic schools, or even in our Catholic Cemeteries, all of our departments do their best to be of service and make themselves available to you. ‘

Most especially, we strive to be a resource and assist as best we can in the parishes of our Diocese. The parish is where, so to speak, “the rubber hits the road,” the “vineyard of the Lord,” and I’m grateful for the work done day after day by the priests, deacons, religious, lay staff, and volunteers in the 89 parishes throughout Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, and Warren counties. Besides the diocesan pro-grams, so many parishes do great work (many times unseen) to bring the Gospel message to the people of their locality (and even a distance away, given today’s technology).Most especially, I’m thankful for the trust you place in our parishes and in the Diocese of Metuchen by providing us with the financial re-sources that sustain our programs. Through your weekly contributions that support your parishes and your annual gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal, great things happen and will continue to happen.

May the Lord continue to bless you in the days ahead, and may I ask you to please join me in asking Christ the Good Shepherd to send us a new shepherd after His own Sacred Heart.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Very Rev. Jonathan S. Toborowsky
Administrator