Following Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament held in St. Anthony of Padua Church, attendees at the Season of Faithful Witness event participated in an outdoor procession where the prayed at the altars set up for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Mary Stadnyk photo
By Mary Stadnyk, Associate Editor
For nearly two years, “Joe” worked in New Jersey while his wife remained behind in their native Venezuela. And even though they were thousands of miles apart, the couple navigated one crisis after another. Joe’s mother became seriously ill and later their son, who was born premature, spent the first 10 months of his life in a hospital.
Joe recalled having to leave his wife and everything he loved behind.
But standing before fellow parishioners on June 7 at St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown, Joe shared that his story shifted from one defined by hardship to realizing that “God had a plan.”
Today, his family is together. His mother received the medical care she needed and today his son is healthy and thriving.
“Today we are here with hearts overflowing with gratitude to share how the hands of God and the generosity of this nation transformed our deepest pain into a living blessing,” Joe said.
His testimony was part of a prayer vigil held on the parish grounds as part of the nationwide Season of Faithful Witness, an initiative encouraging Catholics to publicly express solidarity with migrants through prayer, justice and acts of mercy. A similar event was held in the Diocese in May in St. Joan of Arc, Marlton, which called attention to various violations of human dignity including poverty, racial violence, destruction of earth and immigration.
The Hightstown event began with Eucharistic Adoration inside the church before congregants took part in an outdoor procession, stopping at altars that had been prepared for the Feast of Corpus Christi.
For organizer Alberto Bellini, a parishioner at St. Anthony’s, the vigil was about reminding people that every person’s dignity deserves protection.
“I think as a parish and as a community was to create a sense of awareness and let people know we need to treat each other with love and kindness and respect,” Bellini said. “Our faith tells us that the dignity of all human beings is a priority.”
Brenda Rasher, diocesan executive director of Catholic Social Services, was in attendance as a representative of the Diocese.
The connection between faith and action resonated in remarks from Maggie Smith of Goodfaith, one of the organizations that helped coordinate the event along with St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Trenton and the diocesan Hispanic Ministry.
“As we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, Catholics across the country are gathering in parishes, ministries, schools, neighborhoods and public spaces to pray and bear faithful witness to the dignity of every person,” Smith said.
Reminding participants that the Eucharist is not simply something Catholics receive but something that forms them into the Body of Christ,” she said, “When members of the Body are suffering – when families are afraid, when neighbors feel forgotten, when human dignity is threatened – our faith calls us to respond with prayer, solidarity and courage.”
