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“Jesus said to His disciples, … When you fast, … When you give alms, … When you pray … And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” Mt. 6:1–6, 16–18 Each year on Ash Wednesday, at Mass or a Prayer Service, as we begin the Season of Lent, we hear the Gospel quoted above, Matthew 6: 1–6, 16–18, and Jesus speaks to us, His disciples, about fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. As Jesus speaks to us of those spiritual practices, we should “listen very closely” because He is telling us not only “what” we should do but “how” (and why) we should do it.

St. John Henry Newman, the great theologian of the nineteenth century, chose as his motto when appointed a cardinal, “Cor ad cor loquitur” — “Heart speaks to heart.” This is a time in our history, I respectfully suggest, when we need heart speaking to heart.

I offer above the first eight verses of the fifth chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans because, this past week, while on Retreat, I had the opportunity to spend some time in prayer with this and some other Scripture passages that speak about Hope. The opportunity of an annual Retreat is a gift the Church gives to priests, bishops, and those in consecrated life.

A medida que iba creciendo, llegué a entender lo que significaba decir: “Mis padres nacieron en Irlanda”. Ser criado por padres inmigrantes no pareció tener mucho impacto en mí, mi hermana o mi hermano, ya que crecimos en un “vecindario irlandés-italiano” en Queens en las décadas de 1970 y 1980.

As I was growing up, I eventually came to understand what it meant to say, “My parents were born in Ireland.” Being raised by immigrant parents did not seem to have much of an impact on me, my sister, or my brother as we grew up in an “Irish-Italian neighborhood” in Queens in the 1970s and ’80s.

From Sunday, Jan. 26 (the Sunday of the Word of God) through Saturday, Feb. 1, in this Jubilee Year of 2025, we will celebrate “National Catholic Schools Week,” the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. You can learn more about Catholic Schools Week at the “NCEA” (National Catholic Educational Association) website.

Are you as surprised as I am that we are (already) preparing to celebrate the SIXTH “Sunday of the Word of God?” Or, perhaps, are you more surprised that this could be the first time you are hearing about the “Sunday of the Word of God?” For regular readers of this column, I think that I may owe you an apology because I don’t think that I have referenced or written about Pope Francis’ establishment, on Sept. 30, 2019, of an annual “Sunday of the Word of God,” on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

If “a picture is worth a thousand words,” what is the value of a really wonderful and inspirational video? During the day on New Year’s Eve, I picked up a book that had been sitting on my bookshelf for some time. The title of the book is Sr. Clare Crockett: Alone with Christ Alone.

The end of one year and the beginning of another is a very appropriate time to “look back” and “look forward.” Here in our diocese, as we come to the close of 2024 and look forward, with the whole Church, to the New (Jubilee) Year of 2025, there is a special reason for us to “look back” with gratitude and “look forward” with great hope.

I wrote my first weekly column in the Beacon in September 2020. Msgr. James Mahoney was Vicar General and an excellent proofreader, editor, and coach, helping me with the column (and so many other “new experiences”) in my first months as Bishop. Msgr. Mahoney retired as Vicar General at the end of September 2020, and Msgr. Mark Condon has been serving in that role ever since. Msgr. Condon has also been a great help to me with my weekly column — and in many other areas.

With these words, “SPES NON CONFUNDIT…,” Pope Francis invites the whole Church to enter into a HOLY YEAR, a great Jubilee. This invitation was offered to us all when Pope Francis published the Bull of Indiction on May 9, 2024. Now (seven months later), the beginning of the Jubilee, which will take place in Rome on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2024, with the opening of the Holy Door, is only two weeks away.

Ido not remember the first time I heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It may have been during my years in college or in the seminary. When I first heard something about him and his story, I was intrigued and impressed. I remember learning that Bonhoeffer was a theologian and Lutheran pastor in Germany at the time when Adolf Hitler rose to power and that he came to believe and preach that true Christians should oppose Hitler and the Nazi Regime.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The words of prayer quoted above should be familiar to most (all) readers. Some may be thinking and asking, “I know that prayer. Where have I heard it?”

I was hoping that this day would not come, but it has become clearer and clearer during the past two to three years that a decision needed to be made to discontinue the print version of The Beacon, our much beloved diocesan newspaper.

For a moment, I thought I had been “scooped” — by our own Beacon! You may recall the front-page story headline in last week’s Beacon, “Pope warns against becoming a ‘sedentary’ church after synod’s close.”

This is the time of year when we conduct our Diocesan Ministries Appeal (DMA) and invite all the faithful to become active participants in transforming the Gospel into concrete action. By making a pledge to our DMA, you support the formation of our seminarians, Catholic urban education, our senior priests’ healthcare/retirement needs, and our Catholic Charities ministries, where tens of thousands of people receive assistance. This is all done in response to Christ’s call to care for his people.

I have said before that I have been inspired by (St.) Mother Teresa of Calcutta and her Missionaries of Charity since I was a sophomore in college in the fall of 1989. Over the years, I have read a great deal of what has been written and reported about Mother Teresa, her life, and her work. I have also listened to “Mother” speaking on many different occasions.

“Election seasons, therefore, should contain a sense of gratitude and hope …” Do you agree? Is that how you are feeling as we approach an election? Is that what you are hearing in the media, on the internet, or in your day-to-day conversations? Do you hear many voices saying that “election seasons … should contain a sense of gratitude and hope”?

“On Nov. 2, 1989, Cardinal John O’Connor penned an unforgettable headline for his weekly column in Catholic New York: “Help Wanted: Sisters of Life.” This small seed planted 33 years ago has grown into a thriving community of 130 Sisters, established in 10 cities.

In place of my column this week, I invite you to take the time to prayerfully read the Homily (below) given by Bishop David O’Connell at the Mass for Life at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in Trenton. The Mass preceded the first-ever statewide Rally and March for Life this past Thursday, Sept. 26 at our State Capitol.