Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney commemorated a century of faith of St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln Park — a “small parish with a big heart” — during a noon Mass on July 31 in the church. In recent years, the evangelizing spirit of this parish has grown — from welcoming different ethnic groups to expanding its spiritual devotions and social-justice outreaches to enable the faithful to minister in different and creative ways.

In the coming days, the U.S. Senate will take up a vote on the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act,” which would codify same-sex marriage into federal law. On the surface, the name of the bill (H.R. 8404), which has already been passed in the U.S. House of Representa­tives, seems innocuous enough, but it is far from that.

Most Catholics long for Jesus and care for the Church. This is the key message in a new report published by the Diocese of Paterson, said Father Paul Manning, the Vicar for Evangeli­zation for the diocese. “If there were unanimity expressed in our diocesan input for the Synod of Bishops 2023,” said Father Manning, “it was an expression of spiritual hunger and a desire for Jesus and a concern for the Church.”

Most of us either saw or heard at least some coverage of Pope Francis’ recent visit to Canada. Many also heard the media coverage of his press conference on the plane during his trip home from Canada, in which he discussed the question of his potential retirement, “I haven’t felt like thinking about that possibility (of his retiring). But maybe that doesn’t mean the day after tomorrow I will start thinking,” he added. He also spoke about discernment of God’s will: “discernment is key in a Jesuit’s vocation” and that means that “he must be open to whatever the Lord asks of him.”