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October
2025: News, Resources & Upcoming Diocesan Events
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This pastoral newsletter includes news, events and
resources. For recurring events, please see the individual
office newsletter.
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Office of
Communications and Public Relations
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“No Half Saints” – A New Youth and Young Adults
Podcast!
The Diocese of Metuchen is pleased to announce that it
has launched a new podcast entitled “No Half Saints,” hosted by Jay
Donofrio, diocesan director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult
Ministry. The name, “No Half Saints,” comes from a St. Thérèse of
Lisieux quote: “You cannot be a half saint. You must be a whole saint
or no saint at all.”
The main goal of the podcast is to bring people into a
closer relationship with Jesus Christ by highlighting the youth and
young adult ministry leaders throughout the diocese. It is our hope
that “No Half Saints” will inspire faith-filled young adults to get
more involved in their parishes. Guests will include youth and young
adult ministers, priests, religious, music ministers, speakers, and
more.
Episode one, which is now live, features Maria Agnese,
youth minister and social ministry outreach coordinator at Our Lady
of Perpetual Help in Bernardsville. New episodes will be released
every other week on the “No Half Saints” YouTube channel, which can
be found at https://www.youtube.com/@NoHalfSaints. Episodes will also be released on the Diocesan
YouTube page, which can be found at http://www.youtube.com/@DioceseofMetuchen.
For more
information about the “No Half Saints” podcast, which is consecrated
to the Blessed Virgin Mary, please check out the full-length article
in the August issue of The Catholic Spirit. Of course, if anyone has
any questions about the podcast, or would like to suggest future
guests, please contact Jay Donofrio at jdonofrio@diometuchen.org.
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Making
the Good News Known
The Office of
Communications and Public Relations is committed to making the Good
News known and telling the story of the Diocese of Metuchen, which
includes telling the stories of our parishes, schools, ministries and
the faithful. Do you have a positive, inspiring story to share about
an individual within our local Church of Metuchen? Is your parish
doing something that lights a fire in the heart of our part of the
world? We want to hear from you!
We invite you to share your news with us by emailing communications@diometuchen.org and, as always, news@catholicspirit.com.
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23rd Annual Blue Mass
At 10:30 AM on
Wednesday, October 29th, Bishop James F. Checchio will celebrate the
23rd Annual Blue Mass at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in
Metuchen. Gathered together with local, county, state, and federal
law enforcement officials, we will honor and pray for those law
enforcement officials of all faiths who live and work in the Diocese
of Metuchen.
In gratitude for
their service to our diocesan family, the Diocese of Metuchen's Blue
Mass Committee has selected South Brunswick Police Department to be
the host agency for the 23rd Annual Blue Mass at the Cathedral of St.
Francis of Assisi on October 29, 2025, at 10:30 A.M.
For more information
and Law Enforcement RSVP, please visit https://diometuchen.org/bluemass.
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Traveling Eucharistic Rosary Congress!
The Diocese of
Metuchen is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a
Traveling Eucharistic Rosary Congress this October 4-10. Eight
different parishes—please see the attached flyer—will be offering
24-hour Eucharistic Adoration, as well as an Hourly Rosary, in
response to Our Lady of Fatima’s call to conversion,
consecration, and prayer. While these eight parishes, spread
across seven of our eight deaneries, have agreed to host this
year’s Congress, we encourage everyone to participate. As there
are host parishes all over the diocese, it is our hope that your
parishioners will be able to attend at least one of the seven
days. You should also know that Pope Leo XIV recently imparted
his Apostolic Blessing to the Eucharistic Congresses, “invoking a
fresh outpouring of heavenly graces” to the participants,
commending them “to the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin
Mary that by the witness of generous and faithful hearts the
Flame of Hope may always shine brightly in our world.” We hope
that you will join us in this wonderful celebration.
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Engage Virtual
Summit 2025 - Bring Your Team!
The Engage
Virtual Summit, presented by eCatholic,
is a fully online, watershed event in the Jubilee Year of
Hope. It brings together lay, clergy, and religious from
parishes, schools, dioceses and ministries to explore innovative
strategies, practical tools, and inspiring insights into
evangelization in today's digital world. Over two dynamic days,
learn from top Catholic speakers, participate in workshops, and
discover how technology can enhance – not replace – your mission.
Discover new ways to share the Gospel, lead with boldness, and
evangelize in today’s digital world—as a team. The Engage
Virtual Summit offers a powerful opportunity to be inspired,
equipped, and united in mission. Please scan the QR Code on the
attached flyer to learn how you can bring your entire pastoral
team at a discounted rate and experience the Summit together. Of course, if anyone has any questions or concerns,
please contact Adam Carlisle, Secretary for Evangelization and Communication, at acarlisle@diometuchen.org.
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Discipleship
Quads
Catholics today face many obstacles to a vibrant
relationship with Christ. Many are without community and lack
support in their faith journey. Many do not know what they
believe, and even if they do, they may not be living out their
beliefs or sharing them with others.
Out of a passion to combat these obstacles and
help people to have the relationship with Christ they desire,
Franciscan University of Steubenville has conducted extensive
research and created the Discipleship Quad.
A Discipleship Quad is a group of four people who
journey together as disciples through weekly gathering of
fellowship, ongoing conversion, and learning. This 12-month path
of accompaniment fosters growth through prayer, accountability,
and authentic relationships.
Discipleship
Quads were designed to offer a free, simple, and replicable
process that anyone can follow. To learn more about this model
with over three decades of success, please check out their
website at https://dquads.com/.
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Men’s Conference - Renewal in Hope!
The Cathedral
of St. Francis of Assisi will be hosting a Men’s Conference this
November 15, from 9:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This year’s conference,
which is open to all men, will feature several speakers,
including Dr. Ray Guarendi, Kevin Wells, and Fr. Kevin Kelly. To
register for this conference, please scan the QR Code on the
attached flyer. Register early (through October 15) for an
early-bird discount. If you want to strengthen your life, your
family, and your community, please join us at the Cathedral this
fall. Questions? Please call 732-548-0100.
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Men’s Freedom
in Christ Conference
The Men of St.
Elizabeth Ann Seton (Three Bridges) are hosting a Men’s Freedom
in Christ Conference this November 22, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m. This conference is open to all men in the diocese and will
be held at the parish (105 Summer Road). Multiple speakers are
slated for this day of deliverance and healing, sponsored by the
Emmaus Men’s Group in Flemington. Come discover the path to
freedom in Christ this November. If anyone has any questions or
concerns, please contact Tom Dwyer at 908-884-9947 or thomasdwyer@sprintmail.com.
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Formation Event -
Forming “Out of Sequence” Children and Teens!
The Office of OCIA
is partnering with the Office of Discipleship
Formation for Children to host a one-day workshop this November 15 at
Our Lady of Lourdes in Whitehouse Station.
This “Forming ‘Out of
Sequence’” event is for all PCLs, Catechists, OCIA Directors and Team
Members and will be focused on “catch-up kids", children and
teens in OCIA.
Please feel free to
share the attached flyer with your OCIA Director/Team Members. Of
course, if anyone has any questions or concerns, please contact Adam Carlisle, Secretary for
Evangelization and Communication, at acarlisle@diometuchen.org.
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Office of
Multi-Cultural Ministries
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Save the Date!
Saturday, November 8, 2025
Diocese of
Metuchen is celebrating
BLACK CATHOLIC
HISTORY MONTH
St. John
Neumann Pastoral Center
146 Metlars
Lane, Piscataway, NJ
Please join us
to celebrate Black Catholic History Month on Saturday, November
8, 2025 at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center. The morning
begins with a welcome followed by a 9:30 am Mass celebrated
Reverend Patrick Winbush, O.S.B.. There will be a light lunch and
fellowship. There is no charge, but registration by October 24th
is required. Please register at: https://diometuchen.org/multiculturalministry.
For more information, please contact Sr. Miriam Perez at mperez@diometuchen.org
or call 732-529-7933.
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Office of
Youth & Young Adult Ministry
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Youth
Minister Meet Up
October
4th
Location: St. John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway, NJ
08854
Time: 9:00am-12:30pm
Register Fee: $10
Calling all youth
ministers and youth volunteers for another meet up day.
Starting with Holy
Mass at 9:00am, then Dr. Stella Jeffrey will be presenting a module
on "Engaging Youth Culture".
Register Here!
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Diocesan
Youth and Young Adult Events with Gabriel Castillo (GabiAfterHours
on YouTube)
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Youth Night – October 24
Location: Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, 32 Elm Ave,
Metuchen, NJ 08840
Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Admission Fee: $10
Join other youth
as popular YouTube creator 'GabiAfterHours' gives a talk on the
Rosary, followed by Eucharistic Adoration, and an ice cream social!
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Young Adult Retreat – October 25
Location: St. Joseph Church,
Hillsborough, NJ 08844
Time: 9:00am – 1:00pm
Admission Fee: $20
Join other young adults for a half-day retreat, where
popular YouTube creator 'GabiAfterHours' will give talks on Mary and
the Rosary. The day will start with Mass and be followed by
Eucharistic Adoration. Lunch will be provided!
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New Diocesan Discernment Groups:
We are establishing
discernment groups for 3 age groups: Middle School, High School
(Quo Vadis follow-up), and Young Adult (age 18-35). Please
invite young men, interested in a journey of discernment of a call to
the priesthood, to contact the Office of Vocations in order to sign
up.
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During Vocations
Awareness Week (November 2 - 8), we encourage all parishes to take
part in the “Called By Name” initiative. (If your parish has a
Vocation Ministry team, you might feel called to have them implement
the program as found in their book,
Vocation Ministry.)
This year we’re
proposing something simpler, so all parishes can
participate.
· We’ll send
each parish a bulletin insert and also something to post on social
media.
· Parishioners
will prayerfully consider who the Lord might be calling to be a
priest (a homily on what a priest actually is, might be helpful), and
then they will either drop that man’s name in the Sunday collection
or use a QR-Code to send his name to our website.
· Then pastors
will look through the names and will be provided a sample letter, to
send to each suitable man, inviting him to a diocesan evening of
prayer and reflection on God’s call.
Recently in the
news, the Archdiocese of New York implemented this program and now
has hundreds of discerners in their discernment programs.
More instructions
and materials to follow...
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Employment Opportunity: Program Coordinator ‐ Secretariat
for Family & Pastoral Life
Presently we are
seeking a Program Coordinator who will be responsible for providing a
wide variety of advanced administrative assistance for the diocesan
offices (located in Piscataway) of Human Life & Dignity, Family
Life, On‐Going Faith Formation and Multicultural Ministry.
Primary duties include answering phone calls and emails, organizing
registrations and payments for various events, sending information to
parishes and other general office responsibilities. Knowledge of Word
and Excel helpful. Must be a Roman Catholic. Associates Degree or 3-5
years related experience preferred. Work schedule is 25 hours per
week with paid vacation, sick days and additional benefits. Please
send your resume to Melissa Pujols or Kathi Campbell at hr@diometuchen.org (no phone calls please).
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Women's Book Study on Eucharistic Miracles
Starting September 7th, join other women in a book
study on Dr. Franco Serafini's A Cardiologist Examines Jesus:
The Stunning Science Behind Eucharistic Miracles.
Meetings are held each Sunday at 2:30pm via Zoom.
Contact cdaverso@diometuchen.org or amarshall@diometuchen.org with any questions.
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The
Catholic Parent
Parents are invited to a new group which will meet
2 Fridays a month at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom beginning on September
26th. Meetings will include watching a brief video on a
topic particular to Catholic parenting and discussing as a
group. Topics will include desiring holiness for your child,
child temperaments, family culture, strong marriage, and being an
effective witness, among others. The group is intended for
those with children in the home and new parents are particularly
welcome as developmental stages will be discussed! If
interested, please contact Cristina at cdaverso@diometuchen.org.
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Retrouvaille
Weekend
Stress In Your
Marriage?
· Do you feel lost, alone or bored in your marriage?
· Are you frustrated, hurt or angry with your
spouse?
· Have you thought about separation or divorce?
· Does talking about it only make it worse?
RETROUVAILLE is
a Lifeline to Help Couples Heal and Renew their Marriages
sponsored by the Office of Family Life, Diocese of Metuchen, NJ.
RETROUVAILLE consists of a weekend experience for
married couples (no group discussions) with four follow-up
sessions. The upcoming weekend is January 30 – February
1, 2026. All inquiries are confidential. For
further information, please contact Rich Colasuonno 732-236-0671
or Annette Colasuonno 732-672-0748 or email 3024@helpourmarriage.org.
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Surviving
Divorce
For men and women seeking healing from separation or
divorce. This 8-week program, while based on the
teachings of the Catholic Church, is open to anyone who needs
comfort, counsel and clarity after a divorce. Meetings will
be held on Wednesdays 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM beginning October
1 – November 19, 2025 at the St. John Neumann Pastoral
Center, 146 Metlars Lane, Piscataway, NJ. For more
information or to register contact Rachelle Hanna at rachelle.hanna@gmail.com.
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Silver &
Gold & 5 Year Wedding Anniversary Celebration
You are
cordially invited to celebrate your 25th, 50th,
50+ or 5th Wedding Anniversary with the Church of
Metuchen and renew your marriage vows with Bishop James F.
Checchio at a special Evening Prayer Service at the Cathedral of
St. Francis of Assisi in Metuchen on Sunday, October 19,
2025 at 3:00 PM. The Silver and Gold Anniversary Prayer
Service will again include couples celebrating 5 years of
marriage. Registration is required. Please register
online at: https://www.diometuchen.org/silver-and-gold-anniversary-celebration. If
you are unable to access, please contact the Family Life Office
at 732-562-1543 or amarshall@diometuchen.org. Registration will close on October 10, 2025.
Although no fee
is required, in the past many Jubilarian couples have given a
donation of gratitude to the Church in memory of this special
occasion. Donations may be made online at https://www.diometuchen.org/silver-and-gold-anniversary-celebration
or calling 732-562-1543.
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New Marriage Catechumenate
The Office of
Family Life is seeking parishes willing to pilot the new Marriage
Catechumenate, as called for by the Vatican Dicastery of Laity,
Family and Life. This unique form of marriage preparation
involves married couples meeting with and mentoring engaged
couples one-on-one. Pastors interested are encouraged to
identify married couples within their parishes who could serve as
mentors and contact Cristina for details at cdaverso@diometuchen.org A training for mentors will be planned for the
Fall.
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Office of
Hispanic Evangelization and Pastoral Ministry
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Hispanic
Heritage Mass at the St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral
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Please join Bishop
Checchio in celebrating the Hispanic Heritage Mass, on Friday,
October 10, 2025 at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Francis
of Assisi, Metuchen.
Before the Mass, Fr.
Ronal Vega will pray the Rosary starting at 6:20 p.m.
We kindly ask that parishes with a Hispanic community
send to Lescobar@diometuchen.org
the name and contact information of the lay representative who will
carry the parish banner in the Hispanic Heritage Mass procession.
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Graduations
at the Hispanic Bible School
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On October 8, 2025 at
6:00 pm, at the St John Neumann Pastoral Center, Piscataway, 62
student from the Hispanic Bible School program will receive a
certificate after two and a half years of learning the Sacred
Scriptures. The Office of Hispanic Evangelization celebrates their
commitment and testimony of perseverance to knowing the Word of the
Lord.
Please pray for these 62 faithfuls members of our
diocese.
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Click the button to
sign-up to receive monthly, information regarding the Hispanic
Diocesan events and other resources for our community.
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Office of
Human Life & Dignity
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October is Respect Life Month
The new 2025-2026
Respect Life Resources are now available. The materials include a
poster and prayer card, as well as a reflection, homily helps,
graphics, a webinar,
a novena and more to
help parishes and schools celebrate Respect Life Month.
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Life Chain - October 5, 2025
Life
Chain is a peaceful, prayerful public witness in support of the
sanctity of all human life, from the moment of conception until
natural death.
Text Link
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Feminine
Genius Brunch – Saturday, October 11, 2025
Come join us
for a Jubilee Celebration of Women and discover God’s plan for
your ultimate flourishing. Guest speaker, Lisa Cotter’s,
topic will be “Reveal the Gift”. The morning includes
fellowship, music, hot brunch, prayer and reflection. This
event is for women of all ages and will be held at the St. John
Neumann Pastoral Center, 146 Metlars Lane in Piscataway from 9:30
AM – 12:30 PM. Cost is $30 per person.
For more information and/or to register please
visit: www.diometuchen.org/humanlifeanddignity
or call 732-562-1543 or
email amarshall@diometuchen.org
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Office for
Discipleship Formation for Children
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Mark your
calendars:
-Saturday,
November 15 - "Catch-up Catechesis"
and OCIA for children/Teens
-Tuesday, November
18 - Faith Fusion Zoom Information Session 7pm - 8pm
-Wednesday, January
21, 2026 - REAL Formation Information Session, 9:30am - 12:15pm
-Saturday, February
28, 2026 - Dr. Kathy Amidei - Involving
Families in Faith Formation
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The Order of the
Anointing of the Sick and of Their Pastoral Care
The new
translation of the Order of the Anointing of Sick and Their
Pastoral Care is now available for pre-order. You can find it at
all the major liturgical book publishers. It begins shipping on
January 1, 2026. It may be used starting February 11, the feast
of Our Lady of Lourdes. It becomes mandatory for use on April 5,
2026, Easter Sunday.
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All Saints on
Saturday and Explainer on When Marriage Can be Celebrated
This year All
Saints (Nov 1) is on Saturday, which as a Saturday is also a day
when Marriages are often celebrated. Since All Saints is a
Solemnity, the ritual Wedding Mass may not be celebrated that
day. However, the sacrament of Marriage may be celebrated within
an All Saints Mass or within a ceremony outside of Mass.
Since privileged
days (like Solemnities) can overlap with the celebration of the
sacrament of Marriage, the Office of Divine Worship has put
together a brief explainer reviewing when the sacrament can be
celebrated, which Mass is used when, and how to celebrate the
sacrament when the ritual Mass cannot be used. You can access
this document under our resources page or at the following link.
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The September edition of The Catholic Spirit is now
available and includes a feature on the first 100 days of Pope Leo
XIV and stories about the Brothers of Hope pilgrimage to the Jubilee
of Youth in Rome and visiting the home of their patron, Saint Pier
Giorgio Frassati; the missionary work in Honduras of seminarian David
Watchorn; the Mass held in honor of the canonization of now Saints
Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis celebrated by Bishop Checchio
in St. Augustine of Canterbury Church, Kendall Park, and a center
spread of first days back to school, among other stories, reflections
and reviews.
In addition to the regular features, October’s issue
will include a number of pilgrimage stories, several diocesan
Hispanic ministry articles, the World Mission Sunday report for our
Diocese, a story about the annual Feminine Genius Brunch, a column by
Anna Githens who attended the canonization in Rome of the two newest
young saints, Korean Cardinal Lazarus You visiting Our Lady of Mercy,
South Bound Brook, and the second in a series of reflections by
Father Michael Fragoso on Eucharistic Conversions. The e-edition of
The Catholic Spirit may be viewed at https://catholicspirit.com/e-edition,
while archived issues from 2019 until the present may be viewed
at https://issuu.com/dioceseofmetuchen.
We welcome your feedback at news@CatholicSpirit.com. If you have
a story that you would like to be considered for publication please
email editor Mary Morrell directly at mmorrell@diometuchen.org.
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The
Catholic Spirit
Social
Media Accounts
Take us with you when you go! Please visit The
Catholic Spirit on Facebook (The Catholic Spirit - NJ), Instagram
(@CathSpiritNJ) and X (@CathSpiritNJ). We will keep you updated on
news from the Diocese of Metuchen.
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Volunteer at Thrift
Store and Food Pantry
Make a difference in
your community! Catholic Charities needs volunteers for their thrift
store and food pantry in Phillipsburg. Your time can directly help
those in need.
Contact Maria Hunter
at 732-387-1315 or mhunter@ccdom.org to learn more about how you can contribute.
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Upcoming Homeschool
events for the 2025/2026 year:
·
November 5 - Vocations Talk/Begin Marian Consecration
·
December 8 - Immaculate Conception/Consecration
·
February 27 - Outside Stations of the Cross
·
April 15 - Trenton Day
·
June 7 - Corpus Christi Procession
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Office of
Religious and Consecrated Life
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For more information on Religious and Consecrated
Life, please contact Sister Anna Nguyen below:
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Sister Anna Nguyen, SCC
Coordinator, Office of Religious and Consecrated Life
(732) 562-2439
anguyen@diometuchen.org
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Office of
Liturgical Music
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On Tuesday, October
21st, Christopher Deibert, Director of Diocesan Liturgical
Music, will be giving a lecture/presentation/workshop on the History
of Roman Catholic Sacred Music (From Where We Came to Where We Are to
Where We’re Going) at St. Magdalene da Pazzi Church in Flemington at
7PM. All are welcome to attend; pastors are asked to encourage
their Directors of Music to attend, along with anyone else who may be
interested. Please contact Cheryl Manfredonia at St. Magdalene’s
to register for the workshop.
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Office for
Persons with Disabilities
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This pastoral newsletter is sent on behalf of the
Office of Communications and Public Relations, Diocese of Metuchen.
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