NEW BRUNSWICK — Catholic Charities’ Unity Square held an open house event: “Martin Luther King Jr. and Paul Robeson: Continuing Their Legacy” at its Community Center.

SOMERSET — Though the liturgical calendar declared Feb. 16 the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the evening’s Mass in St. Matthias Church was anything but ordinary. Instead, the preaching, prayers, native costumes and, above all, the music, blended into a diverse yet unifying celebration of black history and Catholic faith.

Article 135 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series Paragraphs 1776 -1794 Isn’t it true that there is much in our lives that we forget or perhaps simply suppress? I recalled one such memory recently when I heard the word “glockenspiel” mentioned on a television show...In my mind, I was suddenly transported back to the days of my youth when, throughout grammar school and into high school, I played the guitar and the clarinet. A tragic accident during my teenage years, however, caused me to break both arms and wrists; and, as a result, I no longer enjoyed the dexterity (fine motor skills) to play these instruments. Realizing my disappointment, my band instructor showed up at my house one Saturday morning with a musical instrument unfamiliar to me. He suggested that I could participate in the upcoming concerts for the current academic year with a new instrument called the glockenspiel, a percussion instrument easy to learn because it is composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano or organ. The added advantage was that the two wooden mallets used to play the instrument would also help strengthen my wrists and arms.

Last night, I watched a movie entitled “Captain Correlli’s Mandolin.” There I was amazed to find a minor theme which dovetails a major lesson projected through the Gospel account of the woman at the well. In the movie, situated on a Greek island during World War II, we find the Italian army, led by Nicholas Cage as Capt. Antonio Correlli. At this time in history, Mussolini and Hitler were allies. As such, after taking Albania, the Italians descended into Greece so, naturally, we find bitterness between the Italian soldiers and the villagers. This is underscored by the bitter attitude of a Greek physician’s daughter, portrayed by Penelope Cruz. In the film, she initially spurns the romantic advances of the musically-gifted Capt. Correlli because he is too light-hearted about the seriousness of war. It seemed his soldiers were more interested in having a good time than in fighting.

“Reconciliamini Deo ” (2 Corinthians 5:20) I am not sure if Pope Francis got his idea for the theme of his Lenten message for this year from my episcopal motto, but he has certainly made my task of writing my own message to you much easier! After much prayer and thought, I chose the phrase that Saint Paul used in his Second Letter to the Corinthians — “Be reconciled to God” — as the motto for my episcopal service. It was a phrase that kept coming back to me in the Year of Mercy in which I was ordained your bishop. It is an encouragement that really sums up the season of Lent, doesn’t it? We are called to return to God with our whole hearts and assist others in doing so as well.

Article 134 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series Paragraphs 1762 -1770 Many of you may recall your excitement as a teenager that the day finally arrived when you received your “learners permit” to drive a car. For me, following a meticulous reading of the driving manual from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and then the written test, my next challenge was to convince my dad to teach me how to actually drive. An empty church parking lot on a Sunday afternoon became the initial place where I sat behind the wheel for the first time and began my driving lessons. Later, I graduated to a quiet neighborhood with few moving vehicles before moving onto a regular thoroughfare.

MONROE TOWNSHIP — Bishop James F. Checchio presided at a Mass in which three elements integral to Catholics’ faith were blessed and dedicated in the newly-renovated Nativity of Our Lord Church Feb. 9. In solemn rites, Bishop Checchio blessed the ambo, from which the word of God is proclaimed and homilies are given; the baptismal font, where new members of the faith are christened with holy water; and altar, where bread and wine are consecrated to become the spiritual food of the faithful.

Caregivers of those suffering from a mental illness receive compassion and patience from the specially educated staff at Intensive Family Support Services (IFSS) – a program under the Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen umbrella that focuses on improving overall functioning and quality of life for the families and friends of adult individuals living with serious mental health issues.

NEW BRUNSWICK — Bishop James F. Checchio shared advice from the Holy Father with a congregation of health care workers at the Saint Peter’s University Hospital chapel at a Mass, advice they had exemplified in their mission as a Catholic facility from the day its doors opened in 1872. “In the words of Pope Francis on this World Day of the Sick, ‘I hope places of care will increasingly become houses of welcome and comfort, where sick persons will find friendship, understanding, kindness and charity,’” the bishop said in his homily on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, Feb. 11. “In short, humanity.”

In the 1944, Harold Arken and Johnny Mercer wrote the music and lyrics to a song entitled: “Ac-cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive.” Bing Crosby recorded the tune and it was a big hit. The key to happiness sings the crooner is contained in the lyrics: “you’ve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative and watch out for Mr. In-Between.” Initially written to console a war-tired nation, the song was embraced with enthusiasm by the Forgotten Generation. Still, it has perennial value for us today.

EDISON — Sixteen men took their first step to becoming members of the permanent diaconate for the diocese at Mass at St. Matthew the Apostle Church Jan. 25.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Presenting the 2019 Financial Report and statistics about the life of our diocese in this edition of “The Catholic Spirit” obviously caused me to reflect upon the vast array of things that are taking place in service to the Kingdom of God here in our local Church of Metuchen. While the many blessings of the year easily came to mind, as you well know, the year also had serious challenges. Gratefully, God’s promise that He will be with us in all of our trials was equally true. I am truly grateful, too, for all who labor to build up the Kingdom of God in our diocese including our clergy, those in consecrated life and the talented lay faithful who assist me in shepherding my flock.

METUCHEN — Rosemary Kern has spent more than three decades involved in God’s gift of sexuality; the Church’s teaching about and what role it plays in people’s lives from youth to adult. To Kern, the retired manager of the Project Respect Ed program at Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick, the lessons she has taught have been more than just teaching sex education to youth.

What does it mean to live a moral life? Most of us would immediately answer by invoking the name of Jesus and stating that following in the footsteps of Christ is to live a moral life. This includes, among other things, that we must make sacrifices if we want to be followers of Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke, we read: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23). That doesn’t mean we have to do something so big that it makes it onto the evening news. Neither do we have to fast all of the time or pray most of the day into the night.

Curiously, the Jews have no feast for any of the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. They have no special festival in honor of Moses. There is nothing prescribed on the Jewish religious calendar to pay tribute to the three great kings: Saul, David or Solomon. They do however, have a yearly observance of the life of a great queen.

January is a month when we take time to reflect on the sanctity of human life at all stages and in all conditions. I recently had the privilege of joining with more than 100,000 people from across our country standing up for life in Washington, D.C., including hundreds from our own diocese — from our parishes, the Catholic Center at Rutgers University, home school families and our high schools. The opening vigil Mass at the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, along with the Mass the morning of the March at the Capital One Arena were so moving. The Mass at the Shrine had about 10,000 in attendance while some 17,000 youth and young adults filled the Capital One Arena. After Mass, many young people filled the streets of Washington as the March began. It was such a sign of hope for our country and encouraging for all who attended. Many people are willing to stand up for life!

This past Sunday, Feb. 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the Church celebrated World Day for Consecrated Life. Hearts were lifted in prayer and gratitude for all those who have dedicated their life to Christ. Pope Saint John Paul II instituted this day in 1997 to recognize nuns, monks and hermits who lead a contemplative life, as well as to show appreciation to religious sisters and brothers, and consecrated virgins who live an apostolic life.

Pope Francis has declared this coming Sunday to be the “Sunday of the Word of God,” a special annual celebration reminding us that “the word of God can enable the Church to experience anew how the risen Lord opens up for us the treasury of his word and enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches before the world” (Aperuit Illis, 2).

Article 132 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series Paragraphs 1730 -1742 Did you know that it is a capital offense to practice the Catholic faith in places like Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia? It is no exaggeration to say that “freedom,” a gift given to us by God, is something that citizens of certain countries are prohibited from exercising, especially with regard to their religious faith. In fact, some national leaders insist that freedom is not a right that people have, but a privilege given to them by the state. There is no real semblance of “freedom” in these countries nor in others like them, especially regarding the practice of Christianity.

Early in my priesthood, the late Bishop Edward T. Hughes asked me to head the Commission for Ecumenism and Interfaith Affairs. This made sense to me since I had written my Master’s thesis on “Dialogue between Lutherans and Catholics on the Eucharist.” My enthusiasm about the subject matter, perhaps due to the proximity of the Lutheran seminary in Gettysburg, Pa. to my seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. enabled me to delve into some productive and contemporary research. It was not long after I received the position that antisemitism reared its ugly head in New York, in Crown Heights in particular. So, WWOR in Seacaucus asked if I would tape a public service announcement about the relationship between these bias crimes and what I perceived to be the best way to squelch this problem, I agreed to cooperate with enthusiasm.