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School opened last week here in the Archdiocese to the joy of parents, perhaps to the dismay of some teachers. For some of the 55,000-plus students in our schools, the new school year was a welcome change from a long and largely wet summer. For others, it was a new challenge. For still others, let’s just say it was a new school year. In keeping with this idea of new school years, I thought I would title this column to read like that first fabled “back-to-school” assignment: “ Now students, take out your pens and some paper and write about…” Like many of you, I spent time this summer visiting with family, one of my favorite things to do. Several of my brothers and sisters came to Newark with their children, and I had a wonderful time showing off the New Jersey sights. I also had a chance to return to Peoria for a brief visit with my dad. Despite his failing health, he is still a source of strength and wisdom for me. We speak by phone every week, but it’s important for me to keep near to him as often as I can. But some of the best days of my summer vacation this year have been those I have spent with you, the members of my Newark family. Take, for instance, the people of St. Ann Parish in Hoboken. I was invited to celebrate with them their annual feast to the grandmother of Our Lord. But when I got there, I learned that they essentially closed down the city and held a parade to celebrate my birthday, complete with a band serenading me at the steps of the church. I also joined several hundred young men and women from the Archdiocese and the Northeast region at our Youth Retreat Center in Kearny as part of a faith-sharing experience called the Emmanuel Community for Young Adults. It was thrilling to see young people full of life and love for their Church, talking about their role in its future. I was blessed to share the Eucharist at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in Seton Hall University with a group of men and women who are a testimony to our belief in the gift of children. They and their children greeted me as an old friend and brother. I also was proud to be part of the annual Newark Labor Day celebration, to stand alongside so many men and women as evidence of the Church’s support of the dignity of people and of fair and just treatment in the workplace. Most moving of all, however, was the Evening Prayer time with the people of Saint Michael Parish in Newark on the eve of the ordination of their pastor, Bishop Edgar da Cunha, our newest auxiliary bishop. Their love for him, and of their parish, their deep heart-felt traditions, are enriching and strengthening this local Church of Newark. When you gather with people who love each other, love you and love Our Lord, it’s hard to pick a “best day of the summer.”
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