In and Around the Diocese

The Somerset County Life Chain
Sunday, October 2, 2022 2pm – 3pm The pro-life people of Somerset County will again participate in the National Life Chain along Somerset St. and Mountain Ave. At 1:45pm Msgr. Celano will offer an opening prayer at the flagpole in front of Immaculate Conception Church on Mountain Ave. Signs will be available outside Immaculate Conception Church and other locations along the Chain. We invite all to join us and help make Life Chain 2022 another memorable and blessed event.

St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church 1900 Brooks Boulevard, Hillsborough Tricky Tray Auction on Friday, October 7, 2022
Doors open at 5pm - auction begin at 7pm. Tickets are $20 per sheet. Tickets can be purchased by contacting the rectory at (908) 725-0615 or Marge at (908) 722-5894. Bring your friends and be ready for an evening of fun, good food and winning some great prizes! No alcohol or outside food is permitted. Must be 18 to attend

Save the Date – Diocesan Pilgrimage On Sept. 24, 2022
The Diocese of Metuchen will conclude its year-long 40th Anniversary celebration with a diocesan pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. As we hope this to be a joyous celebration of our diocesan anniversary, we hope to have many Catholics from our diocese in attendance as possible, so please save the date and encourage your fellow parishioners to do the same. More information and materials will be forthcoming.

AN OFFER OF GIFTS
We Catholics, followers of Jesus, believe that we are a people, a community of faith, and that each one of us has been lavished with the Spirit's gifts, which are not for our personal aggrandizement, but are to be put to the service of our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. Does one of those brothers or sisters seem interested in learning more about Jesus or about our Catholic Faith Family? Bring them to an RCIA Inquiry Session and allow us to help you tell them the Good News. All who are unbaptized, baptized into another faith denomination, or baptized Catholic but have not received Eucharist or Confirmation, are invited. Inquiry sessions are for those who wish to inquire, explore, and search for ways to grow in relationship with God. For more information call Mary Foy at 732-356-4405 ext. 6.

New Jersey Safe Haven Law
Under the New Jersey Safe Haven Infant Protection Act a person may give up an unwanted infant anonymously. The purpose of Safe Haven is to protect unwanted babies from being hurt or killed from unsafe abandonment. A distressed parent who is unable to care for an infant can give up custody of a baby less than 30 days old safely, legally and anonymously. All that is required is that the baby be brought to any hospital emergency room, police station, fire station, ambulance, first aid, and rescue squads in New Jersey that are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As long as the child shows no signs of intentional abuse, no name or other information is required. The parent can call the Safe Haven Hotline - 1-877-839-2339 - and get the address and directions for any hospital emergency room, police station, fire station, ambulance, first aid, and rescue squad in the state.

Relics of Saint Bernadette From April to August 2022
The relics of Saint Bernadette will tour the United States for the first time, bringing the grace of Lourdes to parishes across the country. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is organizing the pilgrimage of the relics in partnership with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, North American Volunteers, Hospitalité of Miami and the Order of Malta. The Relics of Saint Bernadette will visit the Diocese of Metuchen, the only diocesan stop in New Jersey, from May 17-20, 2022. Learn more: diometuchen.org/saintbernadette

Action Needed: Ask Governor Murphy to Increase Funding for Chapter 192
Chapter 192 (Compensatory Education) provides remedial  instruction in Reading, Language Arts, and Mathematics for students in nonpublic schools. The per-pupil amount of $995.33 for these services has not been increased since the 2008-2009 school year, while the amount of time provided for the service has been decreased as a result of costs incurred by the providers of the service. Please contact Governor Murphy and ask that he increase the per-pupil amount for Chapter 192 to $1,300.00 per service so that eligible students can get the services they need to be successful in school. If you have a personal story regarding this issue, please add that to the message.

Volunteer to Make Pocket Rosaries for Law Enforcement
The Office of Family Life is pleased to announce the creation of the Blue Rosary Guild. The purpose of the Guild is for community members of all ages to make pocket Rosaries for law enforcement officers, providing them with support and spiritual strength and promoting devotion to the Rosary among all the faithful. All materials and instructions will be provided and a Zoom virtual tutorial will also be scheduled. Anyone interested should contact Cristina D'Averso Collins, Director of the Office of Family Life at cdaveso@diometuchen.org.

“Amoris Laetitia Family,”
As we celebrate the Year “Amoris Laetitia Family,” the diocesan Office of Communications and Public Relations is compiling a digital family photo album. We invite you to share a photo of your family – a photo of your domestic church by which our local Church of Metuchen is constantly enriched. Please consider sharing your family’s photo with us by sending your photo to communications@diometuchen.org, so we can together bear witness to the love of God through our “family of families.”

In celebration of our 40 years of building the Kingdom in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren
Follow our joyful celebration at www.diometuchn.org/40 Upcoming Events:

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Thank you for your generous support last week for the collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. If you missed the collection, it’s not too late to give! Visit www.usccb.org/ national collections and click “How to Give” under “Resources.”

Political engagement is part of our Catholic Call

In their statement on Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the U.S. Catholic bishops urge Catholics to form their consciences through being open to truth, studying Scripture and Church teaching, examining facts and background information, and prayerful reflection (no. 18). Visit FaithfulCitizenship.org to learn about the steps you can take to form your conscience, watch videos, and access other great resources on conscience formation for faithful citizens.

SAVE HYDE. SAVE LIVES.
For 45 years, the Hyde Amendment and similar laws have protected taxpayers from being forced to pay for elective abortion. The Hyde amendment has been signed into law every year since 1976, whether the Congress and the White House were led by Republicans or Democrats. An overwhelming majority of Americans, including low-income women and women of color who are most impacted by it, support the Hyde Amendment and laws that prevent government-funded abortion.

The Hyde Amendment has saved nearly 2.5 million babies and mothers in difficult circumstances from the tragedy of abortion.

Pope Francis has said, “the future of humanity is fundamentally in the hands of people and their ability to organize.”

To ensure that the Hyde Amendment and all similar life-saving appropriations riders remain in place during the 117th Congress and beyond, we must oppose any bill, including any appropriations bill, that expands taxpayer funding of abortion. Americans ought not be forced to subsidize the taking of innocent life. Please visit the website: No Taxpayer Abortion (https://www.notaxpayerabortion.com/)

Bishop Checchio and I invite parishioners to join our diocesan response to sign a petition to express your disapproval for tax dollars being spent to pay for elective abortions.

You can also contact our elected officials:

Senator Robert Menendez
528 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-4744 https://www.menendez.senate.gov/contact/email

Senator Corey Booker
717 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-3224 https://www.booker.senate.gov/contact/write-to-cory

Tom Malinowski
75-77 North Bridge Street
Somerville, NJ 08876
Phone: (908) 547-3307
https://malinowski.house.gov/contact

Your assistance and cooperation are appreciated. It is hoped that millions of Catholics across the country will make their voices heard – let’s do our part here in Blessed Sacrament Church and the Diocese of Metuchen.

Open Your Heart and Home to a Foster Child.
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen is seeking loving families to foster children of all ages, who have been abused, neglected or have had mulƟple out of home placements, through its Treatment Family Homes Program, contracted by New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families. Applicants must have adequate space for a child and complete a home study which includes background checks, references, interviews, and a home inspection. All Catholic Charities licensed families receive iniƟal and ongoing specialized training, 24 hour emergency access to staff, respite services, monthly reimbursement for the child’s expenses and support from experienced families. For more information about the program, please visit www.ccdom.org or contact Miguelina Nunez at 866-247-HOME (4663) or at mnunez@ccdom.org..


How to Report Sexual Abuse
If you were sexually abused by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church, or you know of someone who was, you are encouraged to report that abuse to local law enforcement, the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency at 1-877-NJ ABUSE (652-2873) or 1-800-835-5510 (TTY/TDD for the deaf), and also the Diocesan Response Officer at (908) 930-4558 (24 hours/7 days a week). For more information on how to report abuse, visit our diocesan website: diometuchen.org/healing.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen
Please consider supporting our local poverty relief services by donating gently used clothing, shoes, household items and small appliances to Catholic Charities-Diocese of Metuchen. Clearly marked donation boxes are available in more than 30 locations throughout our four-county diocese. For a complete list of drop-off locations, visit https://ccdom.org/clothing-donation-drop-boxes. If you have an item that is too big to fit in a donation box, call 877-343-3651 to arrange for a free pick up at your home.

Bishops Emergency Disaster Fund

We offer our prayers to those families who have witnessed and suffered from the devastating impacts of natural disasters, among them Hurricane Laura and the California wildfires. The U.S. Bishops are inviting all to participate in a special collection for the humanitarian, long-term recovery, and Church needs arising from these calamities. The funds collected in this special appeal will become part of the Bishops Emergency Disaster Fund and will be used to support the efforts of Catholic Charities USA and/or Catholic Relief Services, the official relief agencies of the U.S. Catholic Church.   Click the following link to donate: online donation

Pray for vocations!
Bishop James F. Checchio recently ordained five men to the priesthood during a Mass of the Rite of Ordination. Please pray for our new priests Rev. David Edward Keyes, Rev. Thomas William Lanza, Rev. Gustavo Andres Rodriguez-Perez, Rev. Gilbert Zachariah Starcher and Rev. John Fredy Triana-Beltran, C.O. as they begin their priestly ministry and please pray for a continual increase of vocations in our Church.

Volunteers Needed
We are looking for volunteers to participate in one-to-one activities and become a mentor to the youth of Middlesex County and Franklin Township. Do you want to make a difference in a child’s life? Have a minimum of three hours a week to offer to a child? If you are interested in this great program, contact Jeanette Cullen at 732-738-1323.