Washington Township -- Immaculate Heart Academy, 500 Van Emburg Ave., will host various summer enrichment courses and workshops through its popular Summer@TheAcademy program. Courses are open to both boys and girls of various age levels.

NEWARK—Isaiah Arrington of Newark, a freshman at Immaculate Conception High School (ICHS), Montclair, last month worked with his Student Partner Alliance (S/PA) mentor, Alex MacKenzie, to revitalize a garden in downtown Newark, part of the Greater Newark Conservancy (http://www.citybloom.org).

MONTCLAIR—Singers, dancers, poets, and even martial arts students showcased their abilities at Immaculate Conception High School’s annual talent show, which was held April 14.

SOUTH ORANGE—Immaculee Ilibagiza, best-selling international author, peace advocate and survivor of the 1994 Rwandan Holocaust, will present a program at Seton Hall University (SHU)’s Jubilee Hall Auditorium on Wednesday, March 13, 4:30 p.m.

Molaika Motley, Immaculate Conception High School (ICHS) Class of 1998, who in January lost her battle with breast cancer, was remembered at the annual ICHS homecoming football game, which was held in October against Hudson Catholic High School.

NEWARK—Interfaith leaders throughout the Archdiocese of Newark offered prayers and words of compassion in the wake of the tragedy in Oak Creek, WI, where a lone gunman killed six worshipers and seriously wounded three others at a Sikh temple on Aug. 5. Congregation members of Sri Guru Singh Sabah Sikh Temple, Glen Rock, observed an interfaith service on Aug. 12, offering prayers for the Oak Creek victims and their families.

Editor’s note: Two years ago Archbishop Emeritus Peter L. Gerety, D.D., delivered a homily on the meaning of the priesthood at his Saint John Vianney residence, located in Rutherford. Though at the time he was addressing retired priests, Archbishop Gerety’s words ring true today for priests young and old. The following is an edited excerpt of his homily.

NEWARK—From July 18-24, the Gratia Plena Evangelical Community at Saint Antoninus Parish, 337 South Orange Ave., will host volunteers in its second “mission immersion” week. The theme for this upcoming mission immersion is: “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”

Each day begins with prayer and Mass. Busses commute the group to different work sites throughout the area. July 11 is the deadline for registration. Contact the community by phone (973-489-0509) or e-mail (mjlmgm@gmail.com) for details.

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One night in early November, a Muslim community leader and a Catholic priest got together before a diverse audience at an Episcopal church in Bergen County to discuss the best ways to share the stories of spiritual journeys between people of different faiths.

Good-will dialogue between Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Protestants and people of other faiths has been an ongoing conversation in the four counties of the Archdiocese of Newark. This local engagement, which typically is lost in the shuffle of turbulent international events, reflects the words of Pope Benedict XVI.

JERSEY CITY-Mary Baier sits at the helm of Our Lady of Czestochowa Elementary School and Little Harbor Academy. The schools are located at the crossroads of the Garden State's second-largest urban center. The education mission involves a creative, interactive approach to developing 21st century curriculum in a faithbased environment, which is populated by students of many nationalities, cultures and religions.
 
Welcome to the kaleidoscopic world of a New Jersey Catholic school principal.
 
Faith plays a central role for Baier's approach to Pre-K and elementary school education. She said it is at the heart of her spiritual grounding and her vision as an educator, as well as in the streetwise attention to detail and negotiation skills that are required of her profession.

The two schools operate under one roof as an outpost in a world of complex, diverse inner-city demographics. The financial crisis that continues to unfold in the power corridors of Wall Street-just across the Hudson River-is a long stone's throw from the school's main entrance at 248 Luis Marin Blvd.

ASL Mass at Saint John's to Welcome Deaf Catholics



NEWARK-A long history of serving the deaf community throughout the Archdiocese of Newark comes full circle on Sunday, Sept. 7 at Saint John Parish on Mulberry Street with the initiation of a regularly scheduled American Sign Language (ASL) Sunday Mass.

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Guided by Sister Eileen, All Saints to Greet 560 Students in September



BAYONNE-Sister Eileen Jude Wust, S.S.J. will bring 22 years of experience as a principal to the new All Saints Catholic Academy when it opens its doors next September.

Home to Build Trust, Good Will in Newark Area



NEWARK-The real foundation of a new Habitat for Humanity home on South 6th Street just off South Orange Avenue will be the area's diverse faith traditions.

Earlier this year, at a lecture on prayer-sponsored by Immaculate Conception Seminary (on the campus of Seton Hall University)-a guest remarked almost incredulously to a friend: "I never experienced prayer like that." In just one sentence, she captured the enthusiasm of the crowd attending Father Vincent Fortunato's presentation: "Praying with the Imagination."