Many ideas and thoughts were expressed in the gatherings and written responses, and this report, submitted to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), is a synthesis of these.
As Catholics who believe in the intrinsic dignity of life from conception to natural death regardless of race, creed, or socioeconomic status, we welcome the United States Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. In its ruling, the Supreme Court has corrected the duplicitous reasoning in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which permitted the lawful killing of innocent life. As a Church, we are grateful to God for this blessing on our land and move to continue our work in building up a culture of life that supports all mothers and families in need. Today's ruling validates that even the most innocent and dependent human beings have a right to life.
We the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey express our deepest gratitude for the United States Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Health. This decision ends a very dark chapter in American history and now is the time for our nation to move forward to heal wounds and social divisions.
In conjunction with the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests, Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations said, “The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus gives us a special opportunity to continue our prayers for our priests. May and June are traditionally when ordinations to the priesthood are celebrated. With many priests celebrating anniversaries, this annual day of prayer is significant. This year, it also marks the official promulgation of the sixth edition of The Program of Priestly Formation in the United States of America.
CENTRAL JERSEY – After years of hard work and unexpected challenges, the 455 graduates of the four Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Metuchen, who together amassed more than $113 million in scholarships and awards, have reached the culmination of their high school careers.
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations has released the results of the study A Portrait of the Permanent Diaconate: A Study for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 2021-2022. This annual survey, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University since 2005, provides a detailed snapshot of the state of the permanent diaconate in the United States. Findings include the percentage of active vs. non-active deacons, the arch/dioceses, and eparchies with the largest number of permanent deacons, sociocultural demographics, ministerial involvement, etc.