Caption: Catholic school students read at the podium during the annual Catholic Schools Mass Oct. 15 in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. MIke Ehrmann photo
By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor
Quite a few hands went up during the annual Catholic Schools Mass Oct. 15 when Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., asked students from around the Diocese of Trenton: “How many of you would like to become a saint?”
PHOTO GALLERY: 2026 Catholic Schools Mass
The Bishop had their full attention when he followed with, “Well, I have some good news for you. You don’t have to wait until you’re grown up to become a saint. You can start right now.”
The mood in and around St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, was upbeat from the moment that hundreds of uniformed students representing 33 schools stepped off buses and piled into pews for the Mass. As has been the longstanding tradition, all schools participated in a procession with student representatives carrying school flags or banners down the Co-Cathedral’s center aisle. The choir from St. Charles Borromeo School, Cinnaminson, led their peers in the singing of the day’s well-loved hymns that touched on themes of peace and Eucharist.
Students from St. Dominic School, Brick; St. Gregory the Great Academy and St. Joseph School, Toms River, participated as readers, altar serves and gift bearers. Joining the Bishop and students were more than 20 priest concelebrants – many whose parishes sponsor Catholic schools.
‘You’ve got a friend’
Directing his homily to the young congregants seated before him and thousands more students and educators viewing the livestream in their schools, Bishop O’Connell stressed that the most important thing he wants them to learn is the unconditional love that Jesus has for them.
The Bishop noted that the Mass coincided with the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila, who lived more than 400 years ago and went on to become “a great saint.” He said that what Teresa taught young people is that “prayer is simply talking to Jesus as you would talk to a friend.”
“Think about that,” Bishop O’Connell advised. “Jesus wants to be your friend! You can talk to him when you’re happy, when you’re sad, when you’re worried or when you’re having a bad day.”
“And the wonderful thing is that Jesus is always listening,” Bishop O’Connell said.
‘Walking the walk’
In reflecting on the day’s Gospel, the Bishop told the students that “It’s not enough just to talk about loving God. We have to show that love in the way we live.”
“When you help someone who’s struggling, when you include someone who’s left out, when you tell the truth even when it’s difficult, when you forgive someone who has hurt you — that’s how you show Jesus you love him,” the Bishop said.
Bishop O’Connell gave the students three points to keep in mind as they live out and grow in their faith: “First, God loves you! Every single one of you. Never forget that. Second, Be kind to one another! Especially to someone who needs a friend. And third, Talk to Jesus every day. He wants to hear from you.”
“I hope you will always be a friend of Jesus and a friend to one another,” the Bishop said.
“That’s what makes our Catholic schools special. We don’t just teach you how to make a living. We teach you how to live a good life, a life with Jesus. And that’s what makes a saint.”
Prestigious Honor
For the second year, the diocesan Department of Catholic Schools, host of the Catholic Schools Mass, presented the diocesan Lumen Gentium Award to two deserving schools recognizing each as a Catholic school that “lives out its mission statement, shows high academic and personal growth and serves as a model of Christ’s Light to all nations and all people.”
This year’s Lumen Gentium Award recipients were Our Lady of Good Counsel School, Moorestown, and St. Paul School, Princeton, which is a second time recipient.
Accepting the awards from Bishop O’Connell on behalf of their respective schools were Cynthia Smith, principal of Our Lady of Good Counsel School, and St. Paul Schools’ Sharon Rooney, principal, and Kim Clauss, who retired at the end of the 2025-2026 year.
Day of Grace and Blessings
Whether first timers at the Catholic Schools Mass or former participants of the annual event, students expressed appreciation for the gathering that gives them the opportunity to see Bishop O’Connell and one another.
Jehan Defonseka, a seventh grader in St. Joan of Arc School, Marlton, was very excited about attending his first Catholic Schools Mass. When it was over, he said the event did not disappoint. What impressed him most was the Bishop’s message that regardless of what path they choose in life -– go on to become doctors, police officers, mothers, fathers and even bishops — “We can be whatever we want, and still be a saint,” Defonseka said.
It was also heartening for him to hear that “we don’t have to be perfect in order to be a saint.”
Second time attendee Carson Donlon, an eighth grader in St. Mary Academy, Manahawkin, was inspired to hear the Bishop say that young people don’t have to wait until they’re older to become saints – that they could become saints now.
“That’s something people should try, even at a young age,” he said.
Shelby Bass of St. Mary Academy, who was proud to carry her school’s banner in the opening procession, appreciated the opportunity to meet and hear the Bishop and to be part of an event “where everyone comes to together.”
Gilanna Nolan first attended the Bishop’s Mass as a grammar school student in Our Lady of Sorrows School, Hamilton, and now she’s a sophomore in Villa Victoria Academy, West Trenton.
“Every time I come it really inspires me,” she said. “I love being around all the other Catholic schools. I feel very united with everyone.”
