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January 20
Vocationist Sister Makes First Profession
by  Kerry TimonyNo presence information  on 1/20/2012 1:31 PM

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Sister Maria Lourdes, Mother General Anna Maria Mancino and Bishop Serratelli
 

On January 8, the beautiful feast of the Epiphany, Sister Maria Lourdes Cerisola pronounced her first vows as a Vocationist at the Sister Joanna Formation House in Florham Park.  Bishop Serratelli was the main celebrant at the Liturgy.  Sister Maria Lourdes, born in Uruguay and raised in Kearney and Bloomfield, entered the Sisters of Divine Vocations after witnessing their ministry in Newark.  She admits being drawn both to the spirituality of the congregation and their service to others, especially children.  Congratulations, Sister! ​

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January 20
Diocese to Celebrate World Day for Consecrated Life
by  Kerry TimonyNo presence information  on 1/20/2012 12:23 PM

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Bishop Serratelli will preside at the Diocesan celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life on Sunday, February 19 at 4:00 p.m. at St. Philip the Apostle Church, Clifton, NJ.  The men and women in consecrated life who live/minister in the Diocese will gather, with clergy and laity, to renew their commitment to God at Evening Prayer.  A light reception and opportunity for socializing will follow.


The purpose of World Day is to express gratitude to God for the gift of consecrated life, to rejoice in the wonderful variety and richness of its charisms and to promote knowledge and esteem for it throughout the entire church. The Diocese of Paterson is blessed with 52 Institutes of Consecrated Life with more than a total of 800 members. 

All are encouraged to come and celebrate the beautiful witness of so many who have given their lives to the service of God!
 



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November 30
SOLT Leadership Visits Diocese
by  Kerry TimonyNo presence information  on 11/30/2011 12:14 PM
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Pictured from left to right: Rev. Geno Sylva; Rev. Derek Anderson, SOLT; Bishop Serratelli; Rev. Rogel B. Rosalinas, SOLT, General Priest Servant; Sr. Anne Marie Walsh, SOLT, General Sister Servant; Rev. Jerry Drolshagen, SOLT, General Secretary. 
 
The major superiors of both the men and women’s branch  of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, as well the General Secretary, spent several days visiting the Diocese of Paterson. There are currently 2 priests of the Society serving here: Father  James Mulligan, Director at the Sanctuary of Mary in Branchville, and Father Derek Anderson, Director of Catechesis as Evangelization at St. Paul’s Inside the Walls.  The Society is headquartered in Robstown, Texas.

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November 29
Bishop Holds Annual Meeting with Major Superiors
by  Kerry TimonyNo presence information  on 11/29/2011 1:33 PM
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Bishop addresses major superiors in the “oak room” at St. Paul’s Inside the Walls.
 
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(Standing) Sr Ascenza Tizzano MPF, Bishop Serratelli  (Seated) Abbot Giles Hayes, OSB
 
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Participants greet each other as meeting opens (clockwise) Rev. Frank Sevola, OFM, Sr Dorothy Banashak, SSC, Rev. Samuel Kim, OSB, Sr Joan Repka, SC, Sr Joan Daniel Healy, SCC

 

On Tuesday, November 22, Bishop Serratelli held his annual meeting with major superiors at St. Paul’s Inside the Walls Center for Evangelization in Madison.  Thirty participants, representing twenty-five different religious congregations of men and women, participated.  The Agenda included a report of the Bishop on the USCCB Meeting in Baltimore as well as discussion on the role of religious in the diocesan mission.  Abbot Giles Hayes, OSB, current president of CMSM (Council of Major Superiors of Men), then offered additional remarks on the USCCB Committees of which he is a member.  Msgr. Jim Mahoney, Vicar General, addressed the group on diocesan efforts to strengthen financial transparency, mutual accountability, action on the NJ Bishops’ Statement on Poverty and new possibilities for collaborative action.  For the second half of the meeting, Sr Arlene Antczak, Prioress of the Caldwell Dominicans, facilitated table conversation on the topic: “A New Vision of Collaboration for the Urban Church: Imagining Possibilities!” after the group had viewed the DVD, “We Are the Change We’ve Been Waiting For (The Hopi Elders Speak).” A sub-committee was formed to further explore the “possibilities” which surfaced.  Detailed Minutes of the event will be emailed to all major superiors in the near future. ​

 

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November 16
Vocation Awareness Committee Meets in Florham Park
by  Kerry TimonyNo presence information  on 11/16/2011 3:10 PM

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Seated (l to r) Sr Gertrud Elsen, SMIC; Father Benjamin Williams, Assistant Vocation Director, Diocese of Paterson;  Sr. Gelsy Mosca, SDV;  Sr Mariette Therese Bernier, OSB.

Standing (l to r) Sr Dorothy Ann Dirkx, SSM, Sr Peggy Ann Clinton, OP, Sr Kathleen Claflin, SSJ, Sr Maureen Corcoran, SC, Sr Mary Beth Lloyd, MPF, Bro. Patrick Winbush, OSB, Father Vernon Kohlmann, SDV, Sr Mary Joseph Albright, SCC.

 

The Diocesan Vocation Awareness Committee (VAC) met on November 15 at the Father Justin Vocationary in Florham Park. This group meets each month to implement the diocese’s pastoral plan for vocations and to support Bishop Serratelli’s vision for creating a culture of vocations within the Diocese.  VAC is a collaborative effort which includes members of religious congregations of both men and women, the Office of Vocations of the Diocese of Paterson and the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women.

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November 03
New Jersey Council of Major Superiors Holds Fall Meeting
by  Kerry TimonyNo presence information  on 11/3/2011 11:40 AM

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Sr Antonia Cooper, OSF, current Chairperson of New Jersey Council of Major Superiors reviews day’s program with Sr Eleanor Goekler, SMIC.

 

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Attendees Sr Mary Byrnes, PBVM and Sr Dorothy Banashak, SSC enjoy conversation.
 
 
 
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Enjoying a coffee break are Sr Rosemary Moynihan, SC, Sr Elaine Bebyn, MPF and Sr Arlene Antczak, OP.
 
 
On October 28, 2011, twenty-five members of the New Jersey Council of Major Superiors of Women met at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Christian Charity in Mendham.  The presenter for the group’s fall meeting was Catherine Keevey, an Eldercare expert who does regular consultations through the National Religious Retirement Office as well as educational workshops for religious institutes and/or their leadership teams. The topic of the day was “The Multi-Faces of Retirement.” Ms Keevey’s excellent presentation focused on the graces and challenges of aging with particular focus on the need for a clear and comprehensive plan for retirement in religious institutes.  Participants also appreciated the discussion and Q&A period which followed the talk. 

 

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October 21
Xaverian Founder To Be Canonized
by  Kerry TimonyNo presence information  on 10/21/2011 9:28 AM

Guido

The Xaverian Missionaries joyously announce the canonization of their Founder, Blessed Guido Maria Conforti this World Mission Sunday, October 23, 2011 in St. Peter's Square.  

Born in the diocese of Parma, Italy in 1865, Guido Maria Conforti was ordained a priest in 1888. Health problems prevented him from pursuing the missionary vocation he had felt since his youth, but he was able to found a new Religious missionary congregation in 1895. Blessed Guido Maria Conforti defined the characteristics of his missionary family as: “a spirit of living faith which enables us to see God, to seek God, to love God in all.”
 
Because he wanted to continue the work of St. Francis Xavier, the patron Saint of the Xaverian Missionaries, China was chosen as the first mission and the first missionaries were sent there in 1899.
 

Blessed Guido Maria Conforti was consecrated Archbishop of Ravenna, Italy in 1902 and Bishop of Parma, Italy in 1906. Bishop Conforti, himself, visited his missions in China in 1928. However poor health prevented him from an extended stay and he returned to Italy. He died in Parma on Nov. 5, 1931.

After their expulsion from China by the communist government in 1954, the Xaverian Missionaries spread to eighteen other countries around the world in which they continue to serve today.
 
The process for canonization (official recognition of the person as a “Saint” in the Catholic Church) requires the request by candidate’s local bishop, a biography and writings of the candidate, witness testimonials and verification of two miracles attributed to the candidate. Bishop Evasto Colli, Conforti’s successor in Parma, saw the first signs of sanctity and began the process, which led to Conforti’s beatification on March 17, 1996 in St. Peter’s Basilica in the presence of Pope John Paul II.
 
The first miracle attributed to Blessed Conforti came in 1965 with the cure of 12-year-old Sabina Kamariza from pancreatic cancer after prayers for his intercession from the Xaverian Sisters in Burundi, Africa.
 
The second miracle needed for canonization occurred in August 2003 in Brazil when the family and parish community of a premature newborn prayed a novena to Blessed Conforti to save the baby from complications caused by prolonged cardio-respiratory arrest due to his premature birth. A medical council concluded that little Thiago Joào’s sudden recovery was scientifically unexplainable. On April 23, 2010, the College of Theologians identified the cure as “the miraculous intervention of God through the intercession of Blessed Conforti.”
 
“Go and preach the universal brotherhood proclaimed by Christ, which is destined to demolish all barriers and make a single family of all peoples without destroying our nationalities and respective rights…” (Bishop Guido Maria Conforti, Address to departing missionaries, 1924)
 
Eight hundred Xaverian missionaries currently serve in: Bangladesh, Burundi, Brazil, Cameroon, Chad, Columbia, Dem. Republic of Congo, Great Britain, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Mozambique, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and the USA.
 
Since 1967, the provincial headquarters for the USA Province has been in the Diocese of Paterson, where the Xaverians resource the diocese in its commitment to the "missio ad gentes" of the Church.
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Fr. Carl Chudy (left), Provincial of the Xaverians in the USA and Fr. Frank Grappoli, Provincial Treasurer stand by the portrait of Blessed Conforti.
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September 27
Women Religious Newly Appointed to DPC
by  Kerry TimonyNo presence information  on 9/27/2011 2:24 PM

Three women religious have been appointed by Bishop Serratelli to a three-year term of membership in the Diocesan Pastoral Council. They include Sr. Eleanor Goeckler, Missionary of the Immaculate Conception, Sr.  Elaine Bebyn, Religious Teacher Filippini and Sr. Ellen Dauwer, Sister of Charity of St. Elizabeth. The DPC meets with the Bishop four times a year to offer advice on issues of pastoral importance within the diocese.



Pictured here at the September 26 meeting of the DPC, held at St. Paul’s Inside the Walls Evangelization Center, are (left to right)  Sr. Eleanor and Sr. Elaine (representing women religious), Bishop Serratelli, Janet Hoven, Chair of DPC, Eileen Adams (representing the Clifton Deanery), and Rev. Geno Sylva, Vicar for Evangelization. Sr. Ellen was unable to be present.

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September 09
Abbey Celebrates First Profession of Three
by  Kerry TimonyNo presence information  on 9/9/2011 3:58 PM


At the Conventual Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15, 2011, the monastic community welcomed three new professed monks: Brs. Joseph Voltaggio, Dennis Monaghan and Demetrius (Michael) Thomas. In the ancient manner as prescribed in the Rule of Benedict, Chapter 58, Abbot Giles Hayes received the vows, in the presence of the community, family, oblates and friends.

After the Liturgy of the Word, the abbot calls the novices, after which they state their intentions to embrace the monastic life through the profession of vows. Then each in turn kneels before the abbot to read his vow formula, promising before God obedience, stability and fidelity to monastic life according to the Rule, and then signs the document on the altar. Once they have professed their vows the candidates sing the Suscipe, from Psalm 119:116. Next, each is clothed with the hood to complete the habit as worn by professed monks, and is given a copy of the Rule of Benedict. To conclude the rite, the newly professed receive the kiss of peace from the brethren. Mass continues as usual.

Br. Joseph has been a parishioner for many years at Notre Dame of Mt. Carmel, Cedar Knolls, where he met the monks of the Abbey. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of American, Br. Joseph worked as a chef for many years. Br. Dennis, a graduate of the University of Scranton, hails from Glenside, Pennsylvania. Br. Demetrius is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and comes to the Abbey from Hastings, Pa, where he became acquainted with the Benedictines who staff the parish. Brs. Joseph, Dennis and Demetrius have begun studies at Seton Hall University. Ad multos annos!​

 

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September 07
New Novices of the Sisters of Christian Charity
by  Kerry TimonyNo presence information  on 9/7/2011 11:53 AM


Three women entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Christian Charity in Mendham, NJ on the evening of August 20.  Pictured left to right: Sister Sophia Marie Peralta from Atlanta, GA, Sister Mary Grace Harazim from East Hampton, CT, and Sister Mary Peter Tartaglia from Hillside, NJ.

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About this blog
News and items of interest for and about the communities of Consecrated Life in the Diocese of Paterson.