My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I have been on plenty of pilgrimages during my life, but one of the best was two weeks ago, when our diocese was blessed with a memorable experience as we went on a Walking Pilgrimage in Annandale, “The Way of St. Juan Diego.” I will not forget it! More than 700 pilgrims walked the nine-mile journey in imitation of the nine miles that St. Juan Diego regularly walked from his home to get to his catechism lessons while becoming a Catholic in Mexico in 1524.
Article 125 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series Paragraphs 1638-1642 This section of the Catechism begins: “From a valid marriage arises a bond between the spouses which by its very nature is perpetual and exclusive; furthermore, in a Christian marriage the spouses are strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the dignity of their state by a special sacrament” (ccc 1638).
She never went on missions, never founded a religious order, never performed great works. Marie-Françoise Thérèse Martin was only 15 when she entered the Carmelite Monastery and was given the religious name of Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.The only book of hers, published after her death is a brief edited version of her autobiographical journal called “Story of a Soul.” Within 28 years after her death, however, the public demand was so great that she be made a saint that Pius XI canonized her on Oct. 3, 1923.
METUCHEN — “We must, in all sincerity, ask ourselves tonight, ‘Am I a disciple of Jesus Christ?’” Father Timothy A. Christy asked the hundreds seated before him Sept. 20 at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi. “We must not answer too quickly — to be a true disciple of Jesus, we must consider the cost.”
ANNANDALE — Tara Paccillo, who is a massage therapist, usually works Saturdays. However, on Sept. 21, she took the day off to join 700 other individuals on a nine-mile walk through parts of Hunterdon County. She was not trying to meet new clients or network but wanted to be part of the diocese’s pilgrimage, “The Way of St. Juan Diego.”
