By MARY STADNYK
Associate Editor
Updated Sept. 14, 2024
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and nearly 130 priests from the four counties of the Diocese had a couple of days to get away from parish and diocesan duties, with time to rest and be spiritually renewed during the 2024 Clergy Convocation in Galloway.
They said they were happy to spend time sharing fellowship, with many of the priests commenting that priest morale in the Diocese has never been higher.
PHOTO GALLERY: 2024 Clergy Convocation
“This is a good, relaxed and informal time where we enjoy a spirit of fraternity,” said Father Brian Meinders, parochial vicar of St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold.
Father Meinders said that through the prayer experiences, keynote presentations and spending time with other priests, the convocation provides “a good reflection on the priesthood and ministry to which I’m entering.”
Prayer and reflection
During the Sept. 10-12 convocation, the Bishop and priests joined for Masses as well as Morning and Evening Prayer. On Sept. 11, they offered special intentions for all who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks as well as those who were injured, their family members and emergency personnel. They also prayed for all the deceased bishops and priests of the Diocese, especially those who died in the past year.
In his homily at Mass that day, Bishop O’Connell reflected on the Gospel, which was St. Luke’s account of the Beatitudes (Lk 6: 20-26). He said St. Luke’s version differed from St. Matthew’s version in that Jesus speaks directly to the crowds who had gathered in the valley.
“Luke has Jesus coming down the mountain to a level place and he addressed them — ‘Blessed are you,’” the Bishop said. He added that St. Matthew’s account talks about Jesus and his disciples ascending the mountain and that Jesus speaks in the third person, “Blessed are they ….”
“As we reflect on the Beatitudes and on our own vulnerabilities, we need to look into our hearts and see the invitation God gives to us to be transformed,” Bishop O’Connell said.
“There’s an invitation with our names on it,” he added.
Bishop’s update on Trenton Diocese
After Mass, Bishop O’Connell presented his “State of the Diocese,” in which he reviewed a list of statistics, including the numbers of people living in the four counties of the Diocese and how many of them are Catholic; the current number of priests and deacons, both active and retired; the number of parishes; the number of Catholic schools; and students in religious education programs.
The Bishop said he feels that the Diocese of Trenton, overall, is in pretty good shape.
“I feel good about it,” he said.
Some priests who attended spoke of the keynote presentations given by Dominican Father William P. Garrott of St. Dominic Priory, Washington, on “Priestly Identity in the Age of Identity Theft.” In his three presentations, Father Garrott focused on “What it means to be a beloved son of Jesus,” “What it means to be a faithful brother with Jesus,” and “What it means to be a chaste spouse of the Church with Jesus.”
How to remain a spiritual father
“The relationships that form the core of Jesus’ identity are that he is a son, he is a brother and he is a chaste bridegroom, and they are the same relationships that have to form the identity of the priest,” Father Garrott said.
“When those relationships are healthy in the priest, then he will be a faithful reflection of what it means to be a spiritual father,” Father Garrott said, adding that otherwise, there are many challenges from culture that can undermine a priest’s sense of who he is.
Father Pasquale Papalia, a retired priest of the Diocese, smiled as he spoke of the convocation being a “happy gathering” of the priests, many of whom he does not see on a regular basis.
“You can see how Bishop O’Connell fosters a sense of community among us,” Father Papalia said. With the Bishop’s Vincentian background and appreciation for being part of a community, “he wants the same for us.”
Father Dean Gaudio, left, parochial vicar of St. Theresa Parish, Little Egg Harbor, and Father Evarist Kabagambe, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Whiting, enjoy conversation during a break. MIke Ehrmann photo