Bishop Sweeney’s Columns – 2024

12/26/24
Gratitude and Hope

12/19/24
A Beautiful and timeless Christmas Message ...

12/12/24
Pilgrims of Hope

12/05/24
Have you heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer?

11/28/2024
As we begin the Season of Advent, prayers for hope, healing, and peace

11/21/2024
A sad day for The Beacon,but the light will continue to shine

11/07/2024
A beautiful, inspiring homily … at the conclusion of the Synod on Synodality

10/31/2024
UNITED IN FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE: The annual Diocesan Ministries Appeal

10/24/2024
The Lives of the Saints and the ‘Hallow App’

10/17/2024
Forming consciences for faithful citizenship

10/10/2024
United in Prayer – for Life, Family, and Country: An invitation to our Diocesan Respect Life Convocation

10/03/2024
A Powerful and Inspiring Homily: ‘Our Duty to Protect’

09/26/2024
In this Year of Prayer, Oct. 7 will be World Rosary Day

09/19/2024
A Historic Opportunity … To Witness on Behalf of Life

09/12/2024
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: A Request for Prayers … and Awareness

09/05/2024
Back to School: Have You Heard the Conversations About ‘Phone Free’ Schools?

08/22/2024
‘The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways … An opportunity to visit Guadalupe and ‘Villa de Las Ninas’

08/15/2024
‘Spiritual Athletes And the Lives of the Saints

08/08/2024
‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’ John, Chapter 6: The Bread of Life Discourse

08/01/2024
A Reflection and a Homily: The Eucharistic Revival and the Funeral of Father John O’Connor

07/25/2024
The 10th National Eucharistic Congress: The Beauty of the Church and the Power of the Eucharist

07/04/2024
Two New Saints, Summer Reading, ***and: Beaconnj.org

06/20/2024
A March for Life in New Jersey … And Religious Freedom Week

06/06/2024
Beautiful Eucharist: Inspiring Testimonies of Faith and Encounters with Jesus in the Eucharist

05/23/2024
May is Mental Health Awareness Month

05/16/2024
Gratitude for a Pilgrimage to Lourdes

05/02/2024
Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich … and Brother Marinus

04/25/2024
Have You Heard About the Year of Prayer?
Are You Looking Forward to the Jubilee Year?

04/18/2024
An Easter Homily: What Happens After We Die?**

04/11/2024
The Church of the Acts of the Apostles, the Community of Believers, and (local) Voices on the Synodal Way

03/28/2024
The Sacred Paschal Triduum

03/21/2024
The Beauty and Graces Of Holy Week

03/14/2024
Two (More) Inspiring Interviews That Can Give Us Hope

03/07/2024
You Are Invited: To Be Part of a Listening, Synodal Church

02/29/2024
A Movie, a Retreat, and an Invitation: Three Upcoming Events and Opportunities

02/22/2024
Sharing the Good News with Joy: Two interviews with bishops and … Father Mike Schmitz

02/15/2024
Are We Ready … Welcome Home to Healing: The Sacrament of Reconciliation …(and a ‘Super Bowl’ Commercial)

02/08/2024
Are We Ready … Or Getting Ready For LENT?

02/01/2024
Celebrating Life And Celebrating Our Catholic Schools

01/25/2024
Are you ready – and excited – for Catholic Schools Week?

01/11/2024
A National Eucharistic Congress – An Opportunity to be part of History

01/04/2024
Did you hear what Pope Francis said about Blessings?

12/21/2023
The Wonder of the Birth of Jesus

12/14/2023
A Powerful and Inspiring Advent Day of Prayer

12/7/2023
The Advent Journey

11/30/2023
What is the Synod on Synodality asking of us?

11/23/2023
Giving Thanks: God, Family, and Country

11/9/2023
Building a Culture of Life: Our Respect Life Convocation

11/2/2023
Have you ever heard of Father Aloysius Schwartz?

10/26/2023
The Upcoming Election … and Our Responsibility to Vote

10/19/2023
Sadness, Joy, Prayers for Peace, and World Mission Sunday

10/12/2023
Judge Esther Salas: A Testimony of Faith and Forgiveness

10/05/2023
Joan Andrews Bell

09/28/2023
A Peaceful, Prayerful, Public Witness for Life

09/21/2023
The 2023 Diocesan Ministries Appeal: ‘I Have Called You By Name’

09/14/2023
Catechetical Sunday 2023

09/07/2023
Remembering September 11, 2001

08/31/2023
Back to School

08/24/2023
The Message and Mission of Fatima

08/17/2023
‘Mother Teresa’s Business Card' … at World Youth Day

07/27/2023
Fatima and World Youth Day: Let us journey together, united in prayer

07/20/2023
St. Gianna Beretta Molla, the Vocation of Marriage and Holy Families

07/13/2023
A place called Hope

06/29/2023
We are a Pilgrim People: Do you know about our upcoming diocesan pilgrimage to the National Shrine?

06/22/2023
June 24th: Our Patronal Feast Day, Priesthood Ordinations, and a historic day for our Country

06/8/2023
How should we respond to the Los Angeles Dodgers?

06/1/2023
Our 10th Annual ‘Catholic Charities Corpus Christi Food Drive’

05/25/2023
Our Pentecost, the Church, and Our New Deacons

05/18/2023
Our ‘Road to Revival’

05/04/2023
Why a podcast?

04/27/2023
World Day of Prayer for Vocations

04/13/2023
‘My Lord and my God’ – ‘Doubting’ Thomas and the Feast of Divine Mercy

04/06/2023
Remembering and Living the Paschal Mystery

03/30/2023
The People We Meet … A Catholic Charities / ‘Meals on Wheels’ Story

03/23/2023
Opening Day, March Madness and the Rites of Spring

03/16/2023
Remembering a ‘friend of Jesus’ on St. Patrick’s Day

03/09/2023
Our Catechetical Conference, Blessed Miriam Teresa, and Brother Marinus

03/02/2023
Welcoming and Praying for Our Newest Members

02/23/2023
Welcome Home to Healing

02/16/2023
Are you ready for Lent? Have you considered Daily Mass?

02/09/2023
‘Come and See’

02/02/2023
Celebrating Culture and Honoring Our History

01/26/2023
The ‘great news’ about Catholic Schools

01/19/2023
Giving Thanks for the Life and Ministry Of Pope Benedict XVI

01/05/2023
The Feast of the Holy Family               
  

12/22/22
The Living Nativity

12/15/22
The Bible in a Year
(Or, The Seasons of the Year and Listening to God’s Word … on Route 80)

12/8/22
Praying with our Blessed Mother
(and with the Church) on the Advent journey

12/1/22
Bishop Barron’s ‘Strategies for Growth’
(and a few questions for readers)

11/24/22
Choosing Hope: The USCCB meetings, Thanksgiving, and Advent

11/10/22
A Beautiful Morning for Life … and Vocations Awareness Week

11/3/22
Faithful Citizenship … and our responsibility to vote

10/27/22
The Diocesan Ministries Appeal … and the Inspiration of the Saints

10/20/22
Vivere Christus … And the Universal Call to Holiness

10/13/22
‘Choose life’: How can we work together to build a ‘Culture of Life’?

10/6/22
A week filled with blessings:
The Eucharistic Congress and Priests’ Convocation

9/22/22
A meeting with Pope Francis

9/15/22
‘What is a ‘Diocesan Eucharistic Congress,’
and why is it so important?

9/8/22
‘We are one Body, One Body in Christ
Celebrating the Eucharist and the Church in Rome

9/1/22
Back to School… with Gratitude and Prayers for all our Catechists

8/18/22
A Great Cloud of Witnesses and the Mystery of the Eucharist
in the Life of the Church

8/11/22
A New Saint – And a New Name for a Shrine in Sussex

8/4/22
The Synod on Synodality: What have we heard … and what comes next?

7/28/22
God’s ‘All-Stars’ and our help and inspiration

7/21/22
A visit to Ireland: Faith, Family, and Vocations

7/7/22
The Corpus Christi Food Drive and Being the Body of Christ

6/30/22
‘Walking with Moms in Need’ – One response to the ‘Dobbs’ decision

6/23/22
The Holy Eucharist: Past, Present and Future

6/9/22
Women in Leadership

6/2/22
The Feast of Pentecost … and Seven New Priests

5/26/22
Archbishop Cordileone, the Eucharist, and the Church

5/19/22
From Ascension Thursday to Ascension Sunday?

5/12/22
Can we change the tone?

5/5/22
Vocations: Mother’s Day, World Day of Prayer, and Father Stu

4/28/22
Thank God for Moms and Dads and all our Catechists

4/21/22
St. Faustina, St. Pope John Paul II, and the Feast of Divine Mercy

4/14/22
Encountering the Risen Lord:
On the Synodal Journey and in the Breaking of the Bread

4/7/22
‘Opening Day’ – or ‘As we journey together during our most Holy Week’

3/31/22
‘Opening Day’ – or ‘Hope Springs Eternal’

3/24/22
Solidarity and Generosity, Prayer and Consecration

3/17/22
Celebrating St. Patrick and St. Joseph, as we pray for peace

3/10/22
The Synod: Have you heard that we are listening?

3/3/22
Prayer and Fasting for Peace

2/24/22
Welcome Home to Healing … and Reconciliation

2/17/22
Are you ready for Lent? Have you considered Daily Mass?

2/10/22
St. Valentine: Love, Marriage, and Vocations

2/3/22
World Day for Consecrated Life … and the Synod

1/27/22
Catholic Schools Week: Faith, Excellence, Service

1/20/22
Laws: Just and Unjust – ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’

1/13/22
January 22, 1973

1/6/22
What will you do for the Year of the Eucharist?

12/23/21
The Journey to Bethlehem

12/16/21
Teaching our children at Christmastime and throughout the years

12/09/21
We are One Body, One Body in Christ

12/02/21
Walking with Moms in Need

11/25/21
Thanksgiving and Advent

11/18/21
On preparing to receive Christ worthily in the Eucharist

11/11/2
God bless our veterans and all who serve our country

11/04/21
Encounter, Listen, Discern

10/21/21
Remembering and celebrating St. Pope John Paul II

10/14/21
For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission

10/07/21
Respect Life Month

09/30/21
‘Let Your Light Shine’

09/23/21
September is National Recovery Month

09/16/21
A New Office of Hispanic Ministry

09/09/21 
9/11/2001 – 9/11/2021: ‘We Will Never Forget’

09/02/21
‘Back to school’

08/19/21
Discerning and Responding to God’s Call: In the beginning and to the end

08/05/21
John, Chapter 6: The Bread of Life Discourse

07/22/21
World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

07/15/21
Reasons for Hope – Our 7 New Deacons

07/01/21
After a year: gratitude, looking forward, and a change in plans

06/24/21
The USCCB Meeting and our Diocesan Feast Day

06/17/21
Father’s Day in the Year of St. Joseph

06/10/21
Graduation season and our Catholic schools

06/03/21
Corpus Christi: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

05/27/21
The Holy Trinity: Love, Relationships, and Obligations

05/20/21
The Feast of Pentecost

05/13/21
From the Ascension to Pentecost

05/06/21
A ‘Spiritual Bouquet’

04/29/21
St. Joseph the Worker

04/22/21
Blessed Carlo Acutis

04/15/21
A ‘Great Comeback’? – By an ‘Easter People’

04/01/21
The Paschal Triduum

03/25/21
And the Word became Flesh…

03/18/21
John 3:16 and the Equality Act

03/11/21
The Feasts of St. Patrick & St. Joseph

03/04/21
The Transfiguration and some ‘highlights’

02/25/21
‘Pitchers and catchers’ and some lessons to be learned

02/18/21
Welcome Home to Healing

02/11/21
‘Now is the acceptable time…’

02/04/21
World Day for Consecrated Life

01/28/21
Catholic Schools Week

01/21/21
‘One Nation under God’

01/14/21
Living the Year of St. Joseph

01/07/21
A Sad Anniversary