During this Year of Parish Revival, consider spending some time visiting and praying at the Eucharistic Miracle Exhibit to be on display Nov. 28 – Dec. 10 at St. Jude Parish.

November is a wonderful month, despite the arrival of winter, of which I am not a huge fan. The colder weather makes my morning walks tougher, especially when the winds pick up or snow comes. Sometimes I am forced to use the treadmill instead! I enjoy being outside and in our neighborhoods as the day’s activities start, but the treadmill gets me moving, too and I can still pray the Rosary and organize my day during that time. 

During his Oct. 18 general audience, Pope Francis declared Friday, Oct. 27, to be a day of fasting, penance and prayer for peace, and encouraged “the various Christian confessions, members of other religious, and all who hold the cause of peace in the world at heart to participate.” In response to that call, on Oct. 27, St. Mary-Stony Hill Parish, Watchung, hosted an Interfaith Service for Peace in their church.

Bishop James F. Checchio spoke on behalf of the hundreds of faithful filling the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Oct. 25 when he told the uniformed police personnel seated before him, “Thank God for you. We pray for your safety.”

Being away from home is never easy.  Whether it be for a work trip, college, or even while travelling – there is always something within us that loves home and wants to return to it.

The ancient truism, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,” was truly evident the weekend of the Eucharistic Congress held Oct. 20-22 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, N.Y. In spite of the wet, chilly weather roughly 8,500 people flocked to the holy grounds, once the 17th century Mohawk village of Ossernenon, where three of the eight Jesuit missionaries, today known as the North American Martyrs, gave their lives while spreading the Gospel to Native American peoples.