In his homily, Bishop Serratelli stressed that the “only choice” for Catholics is to defend and live out church teachings concerning the protection of life in all its stages.

In his blessing, the Archbishop prayed “Mary, Mother of the living, to you we entrust the cause of life-look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy. Grant that all who believe in your Son may proclaim the Gospel of Life with honesty and love to the people of our time.” The statue depicts Our Blessed Mother holding the Infant Jesus and contains the inscription on the base which reads “Mary, Mother of Life, protect the unborn, pray for us.”

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“Healing the Body of Christ”
Healing the Body of Christ, a new program of RENEW International designed to help dioceses and parishes with healing and spiritual renewal in confronting the clergy abuse crisis, has received the full support of Archbishop John J. Myers.

Scheduled in the Archdiocese of Newark for the Lenten Season, Healing the Body of Christ will bring together clergy, Religious and parishioners around such themes as repentance and forgiveness, healing, and spiritual growth.

Locally, Father Charles Pinyan, Parochial Vicar at Parish of the Little Flower in Berkeley Heights, has been appointed Archdiocesan Coordinator.

It is his hope, Father Pinyan explained, that parishes will adopt the program as part of their Lenten “focus.” Healing the Body of Christ, he continued, contains themes that “carry through” the Lenten Liturgical Season.

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Stewardship vs. Our Ego
Ask yourself: “Who deserves the credit…for my ability to obtain possessions…for giving me my family and friends…for allowing good things to come my way…for cultivating and using my talents?” Many of us would say that WE do this all on our own. Sure, other PEOPLE may have helped us along the way, but essentially we as humans feel that all that we have comes as a result of our own doing. Unfortunately, our egos overshadow our spirit.

One of the most difficult and hardest things to overcome as we continue our journey towards living out a full life dedicated to stewardship is the fact that this simply is not true. The truth is that EVERYTHING we have and experience in our life comes from the Lord. In order for us to live as true stewards, we must accept this. We must have a change of heart – a conversion.

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Today, she has 50 years of service as a member of the Religious Teachers Filippini under her belt, including 35 years working for the Archdiocese of Newark’s Catholic Community Services (CCS), and is still going strong.

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