Christina Leslie

WATCHUNG – Bishop James F. Checchio issued the newest pastor of St. Mary-Stony Hill Parish a loving challenge at his installation Dec. 8, saying his task would be “to help us open our hearts more widely to Jesus so that his presence may fill us and all those we encounter each day.”

METUCHEN – With a worshipful mix of prayer, song, veneration and reverent pageantry, Catholics of Filipino descent honored the Virgin Mary Dec. 15 during the opening Mass of a nine-day novena known as Simbang Gabi.

METUCHEN — Standing before a banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe bedecked with fragrant roses, Bishop James F. Checchio issued a challenge to the faithful seated within the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Dec. 12: their work had only just begun.

NEW BRUNSWICK — “Choices do matter,” declared Bishop James F. Checchio Nov. 2 at St. Peter the Apostle University and Community Church. “We choose heaven by accepting God’s grace in our lives. By living that grace, sharing that grace with others, we make heaven seen on earth.”

METUCHEN — “This has become one of my favorite gatherings of the year,” declared Bishop James F. Checchio at the Oct. 27 Silver and Gold Wedding Anniversary Prayer Service at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi. “We thank you for your faithful witness to married love in a world so much in need.”