Priests to Convene for Three Days in New Jersey Some local parishioners in the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ, will be saying the "Our Father" without one for a few days. From Sunday evening, June 22, to Wednesday afternoon, June 25, more than 500 Archdiocesan priests will gather at the Woodcliff Lake Hilton to reinforce their sense of priesthood, strengthen their commitment to ministry, and share prayer. All priests from the Archdiocese are invited to attend the event, called the Convocation of Priests, including the 14 new priests ordained last month. They will listen to talks by Catholic leaders, join in workshops on the "Church in the new millennium" and celebrate Mass together. The last convocation took place in 1992. Father Michael Merlucci, General Chair of the convocation, noted that since many priests will be away from their parishes, services to parishioners in some areas will be limited during the convocation week. "We begin in the evening on Sunday," he said, "so afternoon Masses on that day will not be affected. During the week, retired priests, and priests from local religious orders will be available to cover Mass schedules, cases of emergency or events such as funerals and First Holy Communion celebrations." Fr. Merlucci also said that, only if absolutely necessary, the priests can be contacted through the parish office and briefly attend to the needs of emerging situations. As with past convocations, the parishes have been told up to a year in advance that this event will be taking place, thereby giving adequate preparation time, he said. Father Paul Bochicchio, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Virgin in Garfield, said that they have everything pretty much taken care of. "We have a Religious priest coming in to say Mass each day," he said, "and our deacon will probably conduct a Communion Service along with the weekly novena in the evenings." He also mentioned that the Religious priest has offered to perform any other rites, such as funerals, as they occur. This will be replicated in parishes throughout the Archdiocese. Highlights of the event will include an address by Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago Gerald Kincanas, former rector of Mundelein Seminary, and an open workshop for the priests on vocations. The Convocation of Priests occurs every five years in the Archdiocese of Newark. The next gathering will take place in 2002.
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