Bishop Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Thomas More Church in Convent Station where he celebrated the vigil Mass for the Second Sunday of Lent Feb. 27.

Everything changed for James Caulfield and his wife, Coleen, once their four kids were born. Like all parents, these parishioners of St. Peter the Apostle in Parsippany experienced a lack of sleep and peace and quiet in their home. He also remembers enjoying the important “everyday moments” of fatherhood together with his now-grown children. All in all, Caulfield said, “I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” in a short video on Feb. 26 for a men’s Lenten recollection, “With a Father’s Heart: an Evening of Reflection on St. Joseph,” held by St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization in Madison.

St. Peter the Apostle Church in Parsippany recently received much-needed major upgrades for better energy-efficiency, making it brighter inside and out with new LED lights and warmer this winter with two new boilers. The church is expected to be cooler this summer because of two new air-conditioning units.

Bishop Sweeney administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to candidates at St. Joseph Parish in Paterson Feb. 28 on the Second Sunday of Lent. The eight young people who received the Sacrament had taken part in the parish’s two-year Confirmation preparation program.

Ancient Egyptians had a “go-to” guy they could rely on while their nation was grappling with seven years of famine in the time of Genesis: Joseph, Pharaoh’s second in command. Pharaoh would tell Egyptians, “Go to Joseph!” for some of the grain, which he had stored ahead of the famine that God revealed to him in a vision — enabling him to provide bread for countless physically hungry.

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced measures to be taken to limit contact with one another last March, the world went into lockdown and the term “social distancing” was introduced. Schools, churches, and business were closed. Families and friends spoke virtually and could not see each other in person. The sick and the dying could not receive visits from loved ones.

With the universal Church in the midst of marking the Year of St. Joseph, the feast day of the foster father of Jesus is getting special attention this year. Annually, the Solemnity of St. Joseph is celebrated on March 19 and this year, throughout the Diocese, special Masses will be held on his feast day.

When Gov. Henry McMaster (R) of South Caro­lina signed the Fetal Heart­beat and Protection from Abortion Act on Feb. 18, he called it “a major step forward in the pro-life movement in South Carolina.” Michael Acquilano, director of the South Carolina Catholic Conference, said, “It was a historic day for the pro-life movement in South Carolina.”

As I finish my eighth month as Bishop, I am still experiencing many “firsts.” I suppose that this will continue, at least for the next four months. This past Sunday, I experienced my first Rite of Election as Bishop. The Rite of Election is a ceremony that takes place in most Catholic Dioceses each year usually on the First Sunday of Lent, when the adults who are preparing to receive the Easter Sacraments (Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation) are presented to the Bishop to be formally enrolled in the Book of the Elect. The “Elect” are officially accepted as candidates who will be fully initiated as members of the Church at the Easter Vigil. They are usually accompanied by their Godparents (sponsors) and representatives of their parish communities. This year we have 75 “Elect” from 22 parishes, as well as schools and ecclesial communities. The numbers of “Elect” and those accompanying them were significantly less than the previous year, due to the pandemic and restrictions. At the same time, the gathering of these candidates is a very clear sign that the Church in the Diocese is alive and growing.

The parish community of St. Patrick in Chatham welcomed Bishop Sweeney during his pastoral visit Feb. 21. During the visit, the Bishop celebrated Mass marking the First Sunday of Lent.

Bishop Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Virgil Parish in Morris Plains Feb. 20 where he celebrated the vigil Mass marking the First Sunday of Lent.

Bishop Sweeney celebrated Mass in the chapel of St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, the first day of Lent, where he blessed and sprinkled ashes on the heads of employees during the Mass. Afterward, the Bishop visited patients’ rooms to give them ashes and to pray with them.

Prayer and penance are two pillars of Lent and the youth of Passaic gathered on the First Friday of Lent, Feb. 19, to mark the start of the season for a Lenten prayer meeting with Bishop Sweeney in Holy Trinity Church in Passaic.

There were a few firsts at this year’s Rite of Election — marked on the First Sunday of Lent — presided at for the first time by Bishop Kevin Sweeney. This special ceremony takes place to mark the catechumens becoming the elect as they move a step closer to receiving the Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist — at the upcoming Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, April 3. The Diocese welcomed the 75 adults, teens, and children who came to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson where Bishop Sweeney formally selected — or elected — them Feb. 21.

The good news last week was that nearly one-third of the members in the U.S. House of Representatives supported a new bill to ban most abortions after 20 weeks. The bad news is that with Democrats holding control of the House, the legislation is not expected to pass a vote.

For almost all baseball fans, the phrase “pitchers and catchers” has a special meaning, especially in January and early February, when fans will ask one another, “How many days until pitchers and catchers?” For those who may not be baseball fans, the phrase and question refer to something called spring training and the custom that the players who are “pitchers and catchers” report to spring training a few days earlier than the rest of the team. So “pitchers and catchers” reporting for spring training, especially after winters that have been difficult, cold, and snowy, is a sign for baseball fans that winter is almost over and spring is near.