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FORDS — The wet weather did little to dampen spirits of the faithful who filled Our Lady of Peace Church Oct. 27 for a Mass celebrating the parish’s 100th anniversary. Bishop James F. Checchio presided at the liturgy together with 20 concelebrating priests and assisting deacons.

NORTH BRUNSWICK — The familiar words of the Nicene Creed took on an extra dimension for the congregation at Mass Nov. 2 at Our Lady of Peace Church, when Bishop James F. Checchio installed Father Michael G. Krull as the third pastor of Our Lady of Peace Parish.

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.”

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, This will be a Thanksgiving Day I won't soon forget. On Thanksgiving morning, the bishops of Pennsylvania and New Jersey will be meeting with Pope Francis. Certainly, being your bishop is one of the things I am most grateful for, so it will be an appropriate way to spend Thanksgiving Day and I can thank the person who sent me here to you, Pope Francis.

METUCHEN — “Do you realize that you are part of God’s plan to restore the order that was lost?” Bishop James F. Checchio asked the hundreds of law enforcement personnel gathered in the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi Oct. 17 for the 18th annual diocesan Blue Mass. “He has called you to cooperate with Him to help answer people’s need for protection and help, especially in times of great turmoil and chaos.”

METUCHEN – Young Catholics from the diocese were reminded that they can have an impact on the lives of others, whether it is at their school or for children thousands of miles away, at the diocese’s annual observance of World Mission Sunday.

For three days in late October, 78 pilgrims from the Diocese of Metuchen, led by Bishop James F. Checchio, went on a spiritual journey to Mexico. The pilgrimage was in preparation for the diocese’s consecration to Jesus through Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, her feast day.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, As we enter this final month of preparation in our year of awakening before consecrating our diocese to Jesus through Our Lady of Guadalupe, I want to share with you my opening homily from our pilgrimage to her shrine in Mexico City. I think it applies to all of us and can help us all prepare for the graces Mary wants to share with us:

NEW BRUNSWICK — “Thanks for giving the witness some of you have done for decades,” said Msgr. Joseph J. Kerrigan to the medical personnel and supporters of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen, seated before him. “Let’s use this gathering … as a catapult for the next chapter.”

SPRING LAKE — Each year the priests of the diocese gather with their shepherd, Bishop James F. Checchio, for three days of prayer, celebration, study and fellowship. The convocation provides them an opportunity to step away from their daily life and activities in their parishes and ministries, and to spend time with the Lord and each other.

While shepherding a diocese calls for the commitment of bishop, clergy, religious and the lay faithful, Church theology and the law of the Church teaches that the priests of the diocese are the primary collaborators of the bishop in his role as Chief Shepherd. So, during my past three and a half years here in Metuchen, I have come to know our priests and have grown to love and admire them.

EDISON — Festivities, family and prayer were the main ingredients for a joy-filled series of events to mark 50 years of faith-filled education on Tingley Lane.

MIDDLESEX — When the Diocese of Metuchen was established Nov. 19, 1981, it became the 24th largest diocese in the United States. Many sets of strong shoulders were needed to help carry it through its formative years and into a stable future.

PISCATAWAY — John Glynn, director, diocesan of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, addressed the athletic directors from schools throughout the diocese in advance of the upcoming CYM basketball season at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center Oct. 1.

PORT READING — During a Sept. 29 liturgy, the congregation in a suburban Catholic church, many of them long-standing area residents, listened intently as their deacon shared sobering statistics of persons who had no place to call their own.

RARITAN TOWNSHIP — More than an hour before the Annual Solemn Pontifical Benediction and Blessing of Roses began at the Carmel Monastery Oct. 1, people arrived. They filled the pews of the small chapel, lined the walls and stood in the hallway just outside. They had come out of love for St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a French Discalced Carmelite Nun also known as “The Little Flower of Jesus,” to celebrate her feast day, to thank her for favors received and seek her help.

PHILADELPHIA — Sister Colleen Michelle Gibson, who was raised in St. Joseph Parish, Hillsborough, professed final vows as a Sister of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia Sept. 15 during a Mass at Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart Chapel, Mount Saint Joseph Convent, according to a release from the congregation.

With a heart full of gratitude, I have some good news to share with you: we have exceeded our goal for the Bishop’s Annual Appeal. I am so grateful for your extraordinary generosity! It certainly is a testament to your faith and your actively trying to build a Civilization of Love here in our four New Jersey counties — Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren. You are a blessing to me and all those who will benefit from your generosity!

In my Back to School opening article, I shared that I embarked on a journey to develop a stronger academic relationship between our schools and Seton Hall University, South Orange.