The short messages began broadcasting the first week of Lent, on Ash Wednesday. They are available in both English and Spanish.

“Living Lent” was inspired and initiated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., who was interested in having a spiritual resource for his flock that was produced by, for and with members of the diocesan family.

“Knowing that so many of our priests are gifted homilists and pastoral leaders in their communities, Bishop O’Connell wanted to showcase some of them and allow them to share their gifts beyond their parish communities,” said Rayanne Bennett, executive director of Communications and Media.   

Bennett explained that the Bishop personally invited the 10 priests to participate – five in English and five in Spanish – asking them to offer brief reflections about what Lent offers Catholics as they prepare for Easter. 

“The Bishop was sure to credit the participating priests for taking time out of their schedules to write their reflection and come to the Chancery to have it taped,” Bennett said. 

Marianne Hartman, director of the diocesan Department of Multimedia Productions, said, “The different priests had their own perspectives, their own personalities during the taping. The videos were conversational and are nice to have as a reminder in this busy world. You can pull it up on your phone, computer or tablet in a minute.”

Bennett conveyed the Bishop’s hope that the series can continue in the coming years, too, and include a wide range of priests. She noted that all of the pieces will continue to be available on the Diocese’s website; the diocesan YouTube channel, as well as The Monitor and Catholic Diocese of Trenton Facebook and Twitter pages.