An enthusiastic group of concerned citizens at St. Vincent Martyr Parish in Madison on Aug. 6 were reminded to put a human face on the controversial issue of refugee migration around the world. They were told to look at it from three distinct perspectives: the challenges of caring for 65 million displaced people around the globe; the hopeful personal story of a family from war-torn Syria resettling in Morris County; and Catholic social teaching, which directs Christians to serve their most vulnerable brothers and sisters.

Sergio Burani of Assumption Parish in Morristown felt a tug on the back of his shirt while leaving Mass on his last morning in the Ngara District, a desperately poor region of northwest Tanzania. He turned around on the front steps of the church to see an elderly woman in traditional dress smile at him and say words in her native Swahili that warmed his heart: “Asante sana,” or “Thank you.”

Remember David Daleiden? Those of us who are pro-life certainly do. He is an undercover journalist and the project lead at the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), a citizen journalist group that has worked to document the role of Planned Parenthood, other abortion providers, and tissue procurement companies in the trade of body parts of aborted babies.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Christopher Church in Parsippany Aug. 6 where he celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Joseph Parish in Newton Aug. 5 where he celebrated the vigil Mass marking the Feast of the Transfiguration.

The bright notes of a trumpet ring out over the deep chords of an organ on “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” before a male baritone voice intones the Christmas hymn’s signature verse, “Oh, come let us adore him.” The simple, yet elegant, performance lets the message of hope — and the artistry — of the song shine through its equally unadorned arrangement.

When Julissa Espinal was 23, she started on a journey to follow God’s plan for her life. She moved to Casa Guadalupe, the Diocese’s house of discernment for women, in 2012 and at the time, she told The Beacon that “Living here has allowed me to spend time in the quiet and pray about my life. Casa Guadalupe has also taught me about living in community life.”

The generosity of the faithful in the Paterson Diocese made the 2016 Bishop’s Annual Appeal a record-breaker. The $4.4 million in pledges was the largest amount raised in Appeal history. These pledges will help fund diocesan Catholic Charities agencies, the education of seminarians, the educational needs of inner-city children attending Catholic schools in the Diocese and Nazareth Village in Chester, the diocesan priests’ retirement residence.