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March
2026: 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
Human Life & Dignity
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Rachel's
Vineyard: Healing Weekend Retreats
Are you struggling from an abortion? This retreat
will help you move beyond any guilt, shame, or anger you have.
Experience God's mercy and compassion in a safe, confidential,
non-judgmental group environment.
April 17-19, 2026
Washington,
NJ
To register or learn more, contact LeahSoulFilledByGrace@gmail.com,
or call/text (609) 709-3479.
Sponsored by Lifechoices, Inc.
nk
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Are You Registered?
Only A Few Weeks Away!
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2026 Choices Matter Conference
March 21, 2026
"Safeguarding Human Dignity...Shining a Light
on Human Trafficking"
New Jersey, along with New York, will be hosting
the 2026 FIFA World Cup. These large events create opportunities
for exploitation and abuse. This conference will help raise
awareness about human trafficking and how the Church can help
combat it. For more information or to register, visit: https://diometuchen.org/choicesmatter.
Furthermore, if
you are interested in placing an advertisement in the Choices
Matter 2026 Journal please visit: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/pWXrUA?vid=1n5mfe
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New Jersey Catholic Mental Health Conference
With 1 in 10
adults in the US and over 1 billion people worldwide affected by
mental health issues, everyone from clergy to educators to lay
faithful are invited to attend this conference entitled "From
Isolation to Belonging: Mental Health and the Catholic Church"
on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center
in Piscataway, NJ. The fee to register is $40 and is limited to
the first 300 registrants. Please visit njconf.com
for more information.
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Post-Abortion Healing
If you experience pain, guilt, or grief after
abortion, be assured that God’s healing love and mercy are always
available to the repentant heart.
For confidential, non-judgmental help, call
(908)725-3546, or visit www.HopeAfterAbortion.org
Lenten Resources
Throughout the Season of Lent, here are some
resources to help share Christ's message of mercy and healing:
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Upcoming Formation Events - Stages of the
Catechumenate
The Office of OCIA is pleased to announce that it will
be hosting three formation events, beginning in August 2026. These
formation events, which will be held at the Pastoral
Center, will provide parish OCIA Directors and Team Members with
an in-depth analysis of the various stages of the Catechumenate,
beginning with arguably the most important stage, the
Pre-Catechumenate, which aims to foster an initial conversion and a
personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
While we are still working out the details, the second
session will be held in November 2026. The last session, focusing on
the final stages of the Catechumenate, including the Period of
Mystagogy, is tentatively scheduled for January 2027. Dr. Bill Keimig,
Director of the Catechetical Institute at Franciscan University of
Steubenville, will lead all three sessions. We are also hoping to
collaborate with the Association for Catechumenal Ministry (https://acmocia.org/) to provide our people with the resources they need
to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. 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
Youth & Young Adult Ministry
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NJ CATHOLIC YOUTH
RALLY 2026
Sunday May 17th,
2026
Please save the date!
Text Lin
Details to
follow*
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Office of
Multi-Cultural Ministries
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Mass for Family Healing
For all feeling alone or grieving due to divorce,
severe marital difficulties, as well as for children of any age
who are affected by these facets of Family Brokenness, please
join us for a special Mass and Resource Fair on Saturday, March
14th, at 10:00 a.m. at the St. John Neumann
Pastoral Center. Representatives from the
"Surviving Divorce," "Retrouvaille" and
"Life-Giving Wounds" ministries will be
present. There will also be activities for younger children
while adults are looking into the resources.
To register, please visit: diometuchen.org/events/family-brokenness-mass.
Contact Rachelle Hanna for details at rachelle.hanna@gmail.com.
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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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Couple's
Guide for Marriage Prep
An updated guide for 2026
can now be found on the Diocesan website -
complete with Engaged Encounter, God's Plan, and Pre-Cana dates.
In-Person NFP Classes will be provided March 28,
May 9, June 13, and July 18. Registration will open the first
week of January.
Text Lik
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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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Life Giving Wounds Retreat
July 11, 2026
8:30 AM–5:30 PM
St. John Neumann Pastoral Center
146 Metlars Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854
A one-day healing retreat for adult children of
divorce or separation. Gain insight into the wounds of divorce,
guidance on love and trust, and experience Christ-centered
community and healing.
Questions? Contact Maria Agnese at magnese@diometuchen.org or
732-562-1543.
Text Link
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Click on the image for more information and
to register.
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Office of
Hispanic Evangelization and Pastoral Ministry
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Save the date!! And stay tuned ...
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Please mark the
following dates on your calendar:
·
May 16 from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm, Pastoral
Plan meeting for Hispanic Ministry. All pastoral planners from
parishes with Hispanic communities are invited to attend a meeting
focused on "Discernment" the second step of our pastoral
plan process.
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· May 30,
Annual Hispanic Pilgrimage to the Blue Army Shrine.
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Living
the Lent
with
CRS Rice Bowl
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Through Catholic
Relief Services' (CRS) Rice Bowl campaign, you can encourage your
community to live Lent in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in
need around the world. Their website offers many resources available
in English and Spanish for parishes, families, and religious
education programs. Learn about stories of hope from Ghana,
Guatemala, and East Timor.
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In addition to the
physical rice bowls, you can also make your contribution online
through diometuchen.org/solidaridad or by using the QR code for the CRS Metuchen Diocese
chapter's (Comunidad de Solidaridad Diócesis de Metuchen) fundraising
account. 25% of the funds raised stay in the diocese to address local
needs, and the remaining 75% is used by CRS to support our brothers
and sisters in need in other parts of the world.
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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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Chrism Mass
The Diocesan Chrism Mass will be celebrated on
Tuesday March 31, 2026, at 4 pm. Bishop Bootkoski will serve as
the principal celebrant. For Parish resources, for links to the
Priest, Deacon, and/or Religious RSVPs (due Tuesday, March 17),
or for more information, please visit the Chrism Mass page at https://diometuchen.org/chrism-mass.
For all Parishes who have not submitted their Holy
Oil Requests yet, please visit https://diometuchen.org/holy-oil-request to submit your request form. You will receive a
confirmation email to the email provided on the form following
submission. All parish must submit their request by Tuesday,
March 17 to avoid delays with preparation for the Mass.
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Lenten Obligation
Regulations for 2026
Please see the
Lenten obligations regarding fasting and abstinence here:
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One-Volume Extracts of the Liturgy of the
Hours
In addition to the
new four-volume edition of the Liturgy of the Hours,
there will be a one-volume edition containing Morning Prayer,
Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer. They will be published by
Catholic Book Publishing, Liturgical Press, Magnificat, and
Midwest Theological Forum. This edition will not be published
until after the four-volume edition is. And so, the one-volume is
expected to be available sometime between 2027 and 2028.
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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 becomes mandatory for use on April
5, 2026, Easter Sunday.
Anointing Seminars
FDLC will be
providing a series of free webinars on the new translation of the
anointing of the sick and on the sacrament as a whole. The
sessions will be recorded for later viewing. You can find more
information at this link: https://fdlc.org/2025/12/fdlc-free-webinars-anointing-of-the-sick/
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St.
Francis Indulgence
On January 10, 2026,
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV declared a special Jubilee Year of
Saint Francis on the occasion of the 800th Anniversary of the
death of Saint Francis of Assisi. This jubilee calls every
faithful Christian, following the example of the Saint of Assisi,
to “become a model of holiness of life and a constant witness of
peace”. The Apostolic Penitentiary, in accordance with the will
of the Holy Father, granted a plenary indulgence on this occasion
during the period of January 10, 2026 to January 10, 2027.
The indulgence can be
obtained under the ordinary conditions and by making a pilgrimage
to any Franciscan conventual church or a Place of Worship
dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi (e.g., our Cathedral) or
connected to him and then participate in a liturgical
celebrations or spend at least a reasonable period of time in
pious meditation and raise prayers to God.
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Upcoming Homeschool
events for the 2025/2026 year:
·
April 15 - Trenton Day
·
June 7 - Corpus Christi Procession
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Office for
Discipleship Formation for Children
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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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Diocesan
Discernment Groups:
Middle School [Every 3rd Friday @ 6pm] - Blue Army Shrine,
Asbury (Holy House) (Parents welcome)
High School / Quo Vadis [Every
2nd Saturday @ 2pm, starts after Quo Vadis] -
Discernment House, Highland Park (Parents welcome)
Young Adult / Melchizedek Project [6 consecutive
Saturdays per phase during the Rutgers semester @ 7:30am, starts Jan.
24] - St. Peter Church Hall, New Brunswick (4 Phases in total of 6
weeks each)
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St.
Andrew's Dinner
Priests
are invited to attend the St. Andrew's Dinner with young adult men
from their parish on March 12 @ 7pm at the Catholic Center at
Rutgers. Please contact the Office of Vocations if you are
bringing a young man to the dinner to meet our Diocesan Administrator
and hear a vocation story as well as meet the Vocations
Director in a more relaxed setting.
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Parish
Melchizedek Discernment Groups
Please
contact the Vocations office if your parish is available to start a
new Melchizedeck Discerment group, either for high school age or for
young adults. It is important for the diocese to begin new local
groups. The vocations office will provide onsite assistance
during the sessions. Currently Mary Mother of God, Hillsborough
is forming a Melchizedek group for High School boys to meet on
Saturdays in April and May. Please contact to Office of
Vocations if you have a candidate that would like to be a part of
this group to seriously explore the priesthood.
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Adoration for Vocations
Please contact the Vocations office if your parish is
available once during 2026 to host the Diocesan monthly
"Adoration for Vocations" Holy Hour.
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QUO VADIS Retreat
2026
Dear
Priests,
Please
keep in mind that the first week of November is Vocations Awareness
Week. You might consider preaching on this topic. It is not
too early to encourage High School boys younger than 18 to attend Quo
Vadis. July 7-9, 2026 at Camp Shiloh in Hewitt NJ. More
details are included in the flyer below. The camp is free
as always.
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*Click on image
for printable flyer*
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The
February edition of The Catholic Spirit is now available and includes
a number of pieces on the Jubilee Year honoring the 800th anniversary
of the death of St. Francis of Assisi; the diocesan Annual Financial
Report 2024-2025; photos and stories from Catholic Schools Week
events celebrated in our schools; a section for the launch of the
Annual Bishop’s Appeal; Black History Month Mass; the Vietnamese Mass
celebrating the New Year; a piece on human trafficking from Jennifer
Ruggiero, secretary of the Secretariat for Family and Pastoral Life;
a reflection from Msgr. Joseph Kerrigan on Contemplative Democracy;
articles on the life, legacy and beatification of Archbishop Fulton
J. Sheen and a host of other columns and news stories about our
schools, parishes and Church.
The
March issue of The Catholic Spirit is in the works. Some of the
planned articles include a celebration of Religious Jubilarians, a
new SNAPSHOT of one of our Catholic Schools, a story from the
Homeschool Ministry about their Lenten day with Outside Stations of
the Cross, the Timothy Awards overseen by the Office of Youth and
Young Adult Ministry, the Retreat for Hispanic Musicians, a Day of
Recollection for Consecrated Life, Lenten programs from our parishes
and schools as well as our regularly featured columnists and OSV news
about the Church and our Holy Father.
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 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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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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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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Pray40: The Return - Hallow’s Lent Community Prayer
Challenge for 2026
If you haven’t already done so, we would encourage you
to promote Pray40, Hallow’s Prayer Challenge this Lent, which
revolves around the Parable of the Prodigal Son. To really help bring
the truths of this parable to life this Lent, this year’s prayer challenge
will dive into the incredible book, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor
Dostoevsky, considered one of the greatest novels of all time. This
is routinely the largest and most popular prayer challenge Hallow
offers. In 2025, nearly two million people joined Pray40, and Hallow
was blessed to reach #2 in the App Store behind only ChatGPT. Please
join Jonathan Roumie, Mark Wahlberg, Chris Pratt, Sr. Miriam James
Heidland, Fr. Mike Schmitz, as well as millions of others around the
world, on a journey back home to the Lord. To join this year’s Pray40
challenge, or to access additional Lenten resources from Hallow,
please click on the following link: https://hallow.com/pray40/.
Text Link
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We have also included a QR code, which you can share
with your parishioners that will allow them to redeem 90 days of
Hallow for free.
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The
Emmaus Experience
An Encounter with the Risen Christ
Our Lady of Fatima (Piscataway) will be hosting a
powerful multimedia concert event on Saturday, March 7 at 7:00
p.m. This event, which is being produced by Array of Hope (https://arrayofhope.org/),
is a family event that brings the Catholic Faith to life through
dynamic live performances by AOH music, engaging talks, stunning
visuals, and heartfelt personal testimonies. Please consider
sharing this flyer with your parishioners. Tickets can be purchased
by scanning the QR code on the flyer.
Of course, if anyone has any other questions,
please call the Parish Office at 732-968-5555, or the other
numbers listed on the flyer. We hope to see many of you in
attendance next month, as this should be a wonderful Lenten event
for our diocese.
Text Link
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Office for
Persons with Disabilities
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Office of
Liturgical Music
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