The Diocese of Metuchen’s Office of Communications and Public Relations calls for submissions for the Diocesan Media Showcase celebrating the 58th World Communications Day.

The Diocese of Metuchen’s Office of Communications and Public Relations extends an invitation to all photographers, writers, and graphic artists residing within the Diocese of Metuchen to participate in our upcoming showcase celebrating World Communications Day 2024. With the goal and aim of living out a synodal Church through Faith communications, the local Catholic Church seeks to set out new and effective ways of sharing the gospel message through its local storytellers.

This year's theme, inspired by the Holy Father, Pope Francis, revolves around "Artificial Intelligence and Wisdom of the Heart: For a Fully Human Communication.

Learn more at www.diometuchen.org/wcdshowcase

Adult Enrichment Course

"World Religions"

The Office of Ongoing Faith Formation will be offering an Adult Enrichment Course entitled "World Religions" on ten consecutive Thursdays starting April 18, 2024 from 10 am to 11:30 am. The course will be offered at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center located at 146 Metlars Lane, Piscataway, NJ. The classes will be presented by Fr. Glenn Comandini, S.T.D. and will include a lecture and Q & A.

There is a $15. fee to attend which covers all 12 sessions. You may register online at www.diometuchen.org/faith-formation (please register only one time for all 12 classes). For more information, please email amarshall@diometuchen.org or call 732-562-1543.

Contact: For questions pertaining to Office of Human Life & Dignity, please contact:

jruggiero@diometuchen.org or amarshall@diometuchen.org

The National Conference for Vicars for Religious (NCVR) Assembly

Date: March 11 to 14, 2024

Theme: Around the Synodal Table

Speakers: Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI & Sr. Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ

Contact: Cristina D'Averso-Collins at cdaverso@diometuchen.org

The Chrism Mass

The Chrism Mass will be Tuesday March 26 at 4 pm. Further information for oil registration will be sent out soon.

2024 Lenten Obligations

1. The days of both fast and abstinence are Ash Wednesday (Feb. 14) and Good Friday (Mar. 29).
2. The other Fridays during Lent (Feb. 16 and 23, Mar. 1, 8, 15, and 22) are days of abstinence.
3. Fasting in the Roman Catholic tradition means to limit oneself to one full meal with two smaller meals which together do not equal the size of your full meal. The obligation of fasting applies only to Catholics between the ages of 18 to 59.  
4. Abstinence in the Roman Catholic tradition means to abstain from eating meat (beef, chicken, pork, turkey, etc.). The obligation of abstinence applies to all Catholics who have reached the age of 14. 

Note: This year, be aware that Ash Wednesday falls on February 14 (also Valentine’s Day). The obligation to fast does remain in effect, so it is suggested that those who are planning a special dinner make that their one main meal of the day.

Attention all Parish and School Music Directors:

2024 Pueri Cantores New York Children's Choral Festival & Mass for Treble Choirs (grades 4-8)

Pueri Cantores, the national student choral organization of the Catholic Church, invites all parish and school treble choirs (grades 4-8) in the region to participate in a Festival & Mass. Singers will unite with hundreds of their peers as one combined choir to sing beautiful music from the Church's rich historical repertoire.

When: Saturday, March 2, 2024 from 11:00am to 6:45pm

Where: Church of the Blessed Sacrament (152 West 71st Street, New York, NY 10023)

Registration Deadline: February 2           

For more details on the Festival, Festival Schedule, Liturgical Music Arrangements for the Mass, & Registration, please download the following brochure:

To learn more about Pueri Cantores and how best to prepare your choir for the Festival day, visit the follow link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGUeGNB5Ipo

For FAQs about the Festivals, including attire, how to access music and MP3 rehearsal tracks, and much more, visit the following link to download the PDF:

https://www.pcchoirs.org/sites/default/files/FAQ%20about%20Pueri%20Cantores%20Festivals%202024.pdf

Office of Divine Worship - Website Update

The Office of Divine Worship has updated their diocesan webpage (https://diometuchen.org/office-of-worship). The page for preparing for the Bishop’s visit has been updated and streamlined (https://diometuchen.org/episcopal-liturgies). Parishes can find the LP forms for the Bishop’s visit on our page and submit them in advance without having to directly contact the office of worship. We have also greatly expanded the resources we provide online.

(https://diometuchen.org/resources-1). Here you can find the norms and guidelines for the diocese concerning the liturgy and the sacraments, alongside general catechetical resources. We will be adding more information here going forward, and this will be the central location for information concerning the celebration of the liturgy in the diocese.

The templates for requesting deputation of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion have been updated and can be found online on our resource page. We have updated our language from mandate to depute to correspond with the language used in Canon Law and the Roman Missal.

Perpetual Adoration - Shrine Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament 

The Shrine Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, in Raritan, is looking for adorers to sit with the Blessed Sacrament Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is also being offered the third Thursday of each Month (Night Vigil) from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Anyone interested in signing up should visit https://blessedsacramentshrine.com/.

Liturgical Music News

The Diocesan Festival Choir is seeking new members in all sections (SATB) to join those who already give generously of their time to serve the Church as Liturgical Musicians. The choir prayerfully renders music from all periods, with a focus on Renaissance polyphony and Gregorian chant. Rehearsals are on the three preceding Tuesdays for any particular Diocesan liturgical event; rehearsals are typically held at the Cathedral of Saint Francis in Metuchen. Interested persons may set up an interview/audition by contacting Christopher Deibert, Director of Diocesan Liturgical Music, at cdeibert@diometuchen.org.

Jill Kerekes

Director, Office of Discipleship Formation for Children

732-529-7930

jkerekes@diometuchen.org

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (NEP) has publically launched! The NEP (https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/) will consist of four cross-country Eucharistic processions, collectively traversing the entire continental United States over a two-month period, beginning during the feast of Pentecost, May 17-19, 2024.

The pilgrimage is being organized by the National Eucharistic Revival campaign in conjunction with Modern Catholic Pilgrim, a Catholic nonprofit dedicated to deepening the faith across the country through pilgrimages. Along the way, the pilgrims will make stops in major U.S. cities, churches, Catholic colleges, and holy sites. Parishes along the routes will host Mass, adoration, devotions, praise and worship, lectures on the Eucharist, and more.

The Seton Route, which will begin in New Haven, Connecticut, will be passing through the Diocese of Metuchen on May 27-28, 2024. The four pilgrimage processions will ultimately converge in Indianapolis on July 16, 2024, to participate in the National Eucharistic Congress. Adam Carlisle, Secretary for Evangelization and Communication, will be helping to organize our diocese’s involvement. If anyone is interested in assisting with this important event, please feel free to contact him at acarlisle@diometuchen.org.

National Eucharistic Pilgrimage

Important Update

When writing to you last month, I shared with you that the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will be travelling through our diocese this May 27-28. I also shared with you how the pilgrims will be visiting the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi (Metuchen) on Monday, May 27, as well as St. Peter the Apostle (New Brunswick) and St. Augustine of Canterbury (Kendall Park) on Tuesday, May 28. While we are still working out the particulars, I am pleased to announce that the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage has published an interactive map (https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org) that allows you to explore each of the four unique routes across the United States and register for the many free events that are coming to our area, including the ones we are hosting right here in the Diocese of Metuchen.

While our events page is live (https://events.moderncatholicpilgrim.com/en/DnDCa1K7/g/seton/seton-route-diocese-of-metuchen-4a2PDnqpSM/overview), you should know that it is not entirely accurate. We are working with the NEP to update the page in a timely manner, but, as you can imagine, this is a monumental undertaking and their staff is doing the best they can. I will be reaching out to all of you in the next few weeks to discuss next steps and to coordinate our efforts to ensure that our people are able to participate in this historic event. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at acarlisle@diometuchen.org.

“Jesus is as a fire in the very center of our souls ever burning. Yet we are cold because we do not stay by it.” – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Text Link

National Eucharistic Congress - Tickets/Travel Packages Now Available!

Travel Packages for the National Eucharistic Congress

(https://www.eucharisticcongress.org/) are now available, and have been for the better part of the past two months. As you can see from the attached brochure, those interested in attending the NEC will be given the option of purchasing a “Land Only” option, which will include passes, hotel accommodations (including free continental breakfast), and shuttle service to and from Indianapolis each day. We are also offering two flight options, both of which are direct flights. Participants may choose to fly out of Newark or Philadelphia. To make things easier, we will be providing a shuttle service to those flying out of Philadelphia. People will be able to park their cars at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, which will save them the hassle of driving to the airport themselves. If you missed the information session, which was held on Wednesday, December 6, you may watch the video, which has been posted to our website (https://diometuchen.org/nec2024). You will also find a copy of the brochure and a link to register for the National Eucharistic Congress. We will be updating this page regularly, so please feel free to check back in the next few weeks. Of course, if you would like to print out a poster-sized (18” x 24”) version of the brochure, please click on the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-wbak44kP4edV-8t3c1GSlBwSecM2bdi/view?usp=drive_link). As this is a pivotal moment in both American history and the legacy of the Catholic Church—it is the first National Eucharistic Congress in 83 years, after all!—we hope that you and your parishioners will consider joining Bishop Checchio in Indianapolis this summer. As these travel packages will be sold on a first-come/first-serve basis, we encourage you to share this information with your parishioners as soon as possible. Of course, if anyone has any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at acarlisle@diometuchen.org.

Multicultural Mass & Fair

April 20, 2024

St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral, Metuchen



Join Bishop Checchio at 10 am for Mass followed by a festive celebration of the different ethnic groups in our diocesan family, sharing their food,

song and dance.

The most recent edition of The Catholic Spirit is now available. In addition to a special tribute to Msgr. Capik, the February issue included articles about the National March for Life, including this year’s Pro-Life Honorees, Black History Month, including a reflection from Deacon Rick Fortune, and Immaculata High School’s first ever wrestling team. The February issue also contained an update regarding the Bishop’s Annual Appeal, as well as a special, multi-page feature celebrated our Brothers and Sisters in Consecrated Life. We are also hard at work on next month’s edition, which will feature articles about a shared Parish Lenten Mission (Mary, Mother of God, Hillsborough, and Immaculate Conception, Somerville), featuring Tim Glemkowski, Chief Executive Office of the National Eucharistic Congress, the Ordination to the Diaconate of Randy Gamboa-Espinoza, and the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi.

The March issue will also feature coverage of the installation of Fr. Deniskingsley Nwagwu (St. Cecelia, Iselin), as well as a Day of Recollection for Religious at St. Joseph (Hillsborough). You can read the full version of both editions online by visiting: https://catholicspirit.com/, where you can browse through stories individually or view the full paper as it appears in print. As always, we thank you for your support and welcome your feedback.

Employment Opportunity - Freelance Photographer



The Diocese of Metuchen is seeking a freelance photographer to cover important events throughout the diocese, including the Bishop’s pastoral visits. The ideal candidate will assist the Office of Communications and Public Relations, as well as The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the diocese, in telling the story of the diocese and its partners. Interested candidates should contact Jerry Wutkowski at communications@diometuchen.org

First Friday Holy Hour and Social

St. Peter's Catholic Church

94 Somerset St., New Brunswick, NJ

First Friday of the Month at 7:30pm

Open to all Young Adults!

Are you looking for a job?

Catholic Charities Child Care Programs are hiring for various positions both full time and part time. 

Contact: If interested in applying, please send resumes and cover letters to kradabaugh@ccdom.org and/or drannie@ccdom.org

Tiffany Workman

Communications Specialist

732-243-4581

tworkman@diometuchen.org