Top photo caption: A student from Donovan Catholic High School, Toms River, smiles in response to the engaging homily of Auxiliary Bishop Pedro Bismarck Chau of Newark during the NJ Bishops’ Mass for Life Oct. 8 in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. Bishop Chau told those assembled to always remember that they are created in the image and likeness of God and “Every person is someone for whom Christ died.” Mike Ehrmann photo
A message from, Rayanne Bennett, Associate Publisher
In the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you, dear readers, that writing this brief column each month is often the very last thing I do in our production process. By the time I sit down to gather my thoughts for you, I will have had my eyes on every article and every page in this issue.
Ideally, I would have worked on this column days in advance – when my thoughts were fresh and I could still see straight. And I am tempted to be disappointed in myself and vow to do better. But then I catch a glimpse of the gift that comes from doing this column last, after I have had the benefit of seeing it all and discovering some of the connections and inspirations that surface every time, without fail.
It has been a very long month since the last issue was published and a head-spinning amount of news needs to be reported. Just keeping up with Bishop O’Connell is enough to keep us plenty busy, but even beyond that … so much happens – globally, nationally and locally – that Catholics should keep up with.
The team that I have the privilege of working with here at The Monitor does an extraordinary job of uncovering and tracking dozens of stories each month, assigning and reporting on them, editing them, taking photos, designing pages and lots of vetting and quality control at every level. The subject matter covered by this work is extremely wide-ranging – encompassing pet blessings and church anniversaries; the funeral of a beloved pastor and a convocation of our priests; a Mass of Remembrance for the 9-11 anniversary and a beautiful hopeful Mass for Life that gathered the faithful from across the state.
The perspective we are able to share with our readers each month is also informed and enriched by the content that we curate from OSV News, which reports on the Church and how Catholics respond to the world around us. Stand-out stories this month include the beatification of Blessed Fulton J. Sheen and the extraordinary visit of Pope Leo XIV to France.
In this month’s issue, there are signs of love everywhere that connect the sad remembrances, the causes for celebration and recognition, and the calls to spread the Gospel and treat every human life with dignity. We can see it in the historic reception given to the Holy Father in France; the loyalty to a parish that one’s family has belonged to for decades; the excitement over the beatification of a beloved faith teacher; and the joyful way that young people responded to the words of a gifted preacher and bishop, who proclaimed that “Every life matters.”
What a joy to see such love. We are indeed blessed by a loving Father.
Until next month … you remain in our thoughts and prayers.