We know the story so well. We tell it and re-tell it in countless ways every year. As we approach and celebrate Christmas in this year of 2020, we are all, in one way or another, tired, maybe especially tired of hearing that Christmas (and the holidays) will be different in this most challenging and difficult year. So, what do we do? We can each ask ourselves as individuals and families, what is the best way that we can celebrate Christmas this year?

Bishop Kevin Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Michael the Archangel Church in Netcong where he celebrated Mass for the Third Sunday of Advent Dec. 13. During the Mass, parishioners also honored Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Confirmation students at Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC) Parish in Pompton Plains have been taking great joy in buying items on their list and checking it twice to benefit a different — and creative — type of food drive for the local poor during a very different holiday season this year: a Reverse Advent Calendar.

It was the miracle of roses that led a bishop to believe St. Juan Diego’s vision of the Blessed Mother on a hill in Tepeyac, Mexico. Nearly 500 years later, the celebration of that moment was marked throughout the world and in the Diocese on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 12. At St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Parsippany, a cascade of colorful roses surrounded the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the feast day’s English/Spanish vigil Mass on the evening of Dec. 11.

With the countdown to Christmas Day dwindling to single digit numbers, it is gratifying to see how many of our readers have thought about the needs of others in this year of pandemic. This Advent and Christmas season is like no other in our lifetime. The physical, mental and financial damage caused to our lives by COVID-19 has been wide-ranging, turning our normal lifestyles upside down. The pandemic has caused many to lose hope in this season of hope as we await the birth of the Christ Child.

On Dec. 3, I received an email from a parishioner that included a request, “Might you, dear bishop, consider decreeing a Year of St. Joseph for our diocese?” Included with the request was a reminder that Dec. 8 would be the 150th anniversary of the declaration (by Blessed Pope Pius IX) of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church (1870–2020). Also included was a list of 11 dioceses in the country that had already announced they would have a “Year of St. Joseph” in 2021.

I think that many or most Catholics are familiar with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and I would hope that many are familiar with the basic story. If you are reading this and the story is new to you I encourage you to Google it or to do some research and learn about this apparition and message of our Blessed Mother that took place almost 500 years ago and, yet, is still so relevant and important in the life of the Church today.

Dedicated to the heroes of the Diocese — the frontline workers, parishes and the staff of Catholic Charities of Paterson, who have continuously served others in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s Annual Diocesan Christmas Concert plans to bring a message of hope to all. Themed “A Concert of Hope,” the concert will be virtual from the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. The virtual concert will be presented at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 18 and can be viewed from the comfort of one’s own home at www.rcdop.org/live.

In its ongoing effort to reach the faithful through social media and similar communication outlets, the Diocese of Paterson will launch a Spanish-language Facebook page to reach many of the faithful whose first language is Spanish. The page will officially launch on Dec. 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a major feast for the Mexican Catholic Church and its culture and celebrated widely by Hispanic communities.

For a moment, the thoughts of Adriana Best of St. Ann Parish in Parsippany drifted back to the religious traditions of her native Colombia on a cold, clear night Dec. 6 in front of St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization in Madison.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacra­ment is now an online stream of a professionally produced video that shows Father Andrew Dutko, parochial vicar of Corpus Christi Church in Chatham Township, leading Adoration, which started streaming on Nov. 23. It was filmed in the summer and produced by a team of professionals.

Pope Francis announced a Year of St. Joseph Tuesday in honor of the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclamation as patron of the Universal Church. The year begins Dec. 8, 2020, and concludes on Dec. 8, 2021, according to a decree authorized by the Pope. The decree states that Pope Francis had established a Year of St. Joseph so that “every member of the faithful, following his example, may strengthen their life of faith daily in the complete fulfillment of God’s will.” It added that the Pope had granted special indulgences to mark the year.

All of us who grew up as a student in Catholic schools or a parish religious education program, have a soft spot in our hearts for the religious who taught us not only academic subjects but also formed our faith in the Catholic Church. And we all have great memories of those days gone by.

Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli celebrated the vigil Mass marking the Second Sunday of Advent at St. Joseph Parish, located in the Echo Lake section of West Milford, on Dec. 5. During the Mass, the Bishop blessed two images — one of the Divine Mercy and the other of St. Faustina — which were placed on the back wall of the church on either side of the altar.

At this time each year, Hazel Ilustrisimo Luayon makes several batches of her light and airy macaroons and sweet and rich hazelnut brownie cupcakes with an extra ingredient: a large helping of prayer. Usually, Hazel Ilustrisimo Luayon brings these divine delicacies to a bake sale that she coordinates on the first weekend of December to benefit the Discalced Carmel­ites of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Morristown, also known as the Carmelite Sisters.

For nine days, from Dec. 15 to 23, faithful around the Diocese will join together for the Filipino tradition of a nine-day novena called “Simbang Gabi” during Advent in preparation for the Nativity of Jesus Christ. Masses will be celebrated in 16 parishes and one monastery as part of the inter-parish “Simbang Gabi,” also known as “Misa de Gallo” or “Dawn Mass,” coordinated by the Diocesan Commission for Catholic Filipino Ministries (DCCFM).

Bishop Kevin Sweeney made a pastoral visit to St. Simon Parish in Green Pond Nov. 26 where he celebrated the morning Mass for Thanksgiving Day. Concelebrating the Mass was Father Richard Bay, pastor.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney celebrated Mass marking the First Sunday of Advent in Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Rockaway Nov. 29. During the Mass, the Bishop administered the Sacrament of Confir­mation to young people of the parish.

Eva’s Village will share firsthand experiences from the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic during a virtual event at 6 p.m., Dec. 8. Like many events held around the Diocese, its annual Benefit Gala was changed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. While the event is different from years past, its purpose remains the same — to raise funds to help so many who are suffering.

St. Mary’s Parish in Dover will light and bless an installation of illuminated, commemorative Christmas trees. The lighting will take place at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 8 after the Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation. Some 125 Douglas fir trees, supported on small posts, have been installed around the church grounds. Each is decorated with miniature white lights. A manger — or Nativity scene — nestled between the church and rectory is a focal point of the installation. In all, 35,000 lights will illuminate the trees. They will be lit each evening through the entire Christmas season.