Diocese Announcements

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BISHOP O’CONNELL ASKS ALL PARISHIONERS TO PRAY THE ROSARY DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME

For centuries Catholics have turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking for her intercession in times of need by praying the Rosary. This great prayer, whose origins date before the 12th century, uses a meditative repetition of prayers that invoke the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she leads us to consider the mysteries in the life of her Divine Son, Jesus.  History has shown this to be a powerful, effective and calming prayer that has truly changed hearts and lives over the centuries of its use.
Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said of the Rosary that it is “the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the Rosary is beyond description.”
As Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, I invite all Catholics in the Diocese of Trenton to consider making this powerful devotion part of your daily life of prayer.  Please join with me in praying Our Lady’s Rosary every day between now and October 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, for the many intentions and needs of our nation today, especially for a true respect for life in all its stages from conception to natural death; for the strengthening of marriage and family life; for an end to the COVID 19 pandemic and for all those impacted by it; for a lasting resolution to the racial tensions and injustices that have too long afflicted our country; for an end to the violence and death in our cities, especially among the young; for the victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking; for the poor, the unemployed and those who face economic hardship and for so many of the other intentions and needs that we face in our country and world.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M.
Bishop of Trenton

BISHOP O’CONNELL ASKS ALL PARISHIONERS IN THE DIOCESE FOR HELP WITH CATHOLIC SCHOOL ADVOCACY

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., shared the following message May 14 to all members of the diocesan community:  Today, the Bishops of NJ and I learned that the House Democrats released The Heroes Act, H.R. 6800, the fourth phase of economic stimulus relief or CARES 4.

H.R.6800 includes several provisions that would protect, and even expand, funding for programs that Congress established in the last CARES Act, such as an extension of unemployment benefits until January 31, 2021, expansion of the SBA payroll protection program loans to include all nonprofits regardless of size, and increased funding for the Supplemental Nutrition assistance program. However, unlike the previous CARES Act, H.R.6800 WOULD PROHIBIT NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS INCLUDING OUR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE DIOCESE OF TRENTON FROM ACCESSING ANY PORTION OF THE PROPOSED $200 BILLION INCLUDED IN THE LEGISLATION FOR EDUCATION.

Our Catholic schools struggle to stay open as it is, and the pandemic will impact them negatively as our neighboring dioceses in New Jersey have revealed.  Please visit njcatholic.org/faith-in-action or click here to contact our New Jersey Senators and Congressmen using the message template there.  We need to work quickly to ask their support.  Thank you and God bless you in these stressful days.

Respectfully yours in the Lord,  Bishop O’Connell

VISIT THE DIOCESE OF TRENTON WEBSITE

Follow this link to see what’s new in our diocese – http://www.dioceseoftrenton.org

UPDATE FROM CATHOLIC CHARITIES

Catholic Charities is fully operational at a heightened state of precaution, accommodating social distancing. To access our services or learn how the changes affect our clients via the internet type Https://www.catholiccharitiestrenton.org/catholic-charities-coronovirus-pandemic/ or call our Help Line 1-800-360-7711

New Jersey Independent Victims Compensation Program

The Diocese of Trenton – along with the other Roman Catholic dioceses in New Jersey – has established an Independent Victim Compensation Program (IVCP) to compensate those who, as minors, were sexually abused by a priest or deacon of the Diocese. The IVCP is now open to claims.

The IVCP is independently administered by experienced victim compensation experts Kenneth R. Feinberg and Camille S. Biros. Mr. Feinberg was the plan administrator for the Federal 9/11 victim compensation program, as well as the Boston Marathon bombing compensation program.

The IVCP will handle the submission, evaluation and resolution of individual claims, and will operate independently of the Diocese or any Church-affiliated institution.  The administrators of the IVCP will have complete autonomy to determine the eligibility of a claim with the guidelines of the established Protocol. The amount of compensation for those who make a claim will be determined by the IVCP administrators.  All victims – no matter when the abuse occurred – are eligible to participate, and all matters will be handled confidentially.

Victims of clergy sexual abuse of a minor can begin the process of utilizing the program by going to www.njdiocesesivcp.com and reviewing the Protocol for submitting a claim.

Anyone who was sexually victimized as a minor by a priest or deacon of the Diocese is strongly encouraged to participate in the IVCP.  The Diocese also asks that anyone who knows of someone who was abused to pass along this information to the victim so that he or she is aware of the IVCP.

Diocese of Trenton

THE UPPER ROOM

The Upper Room, Neptune, sponsored by the Diocese of Trenton, offers many programs. For info, go to

www.facebook.com/upperroomspiritualcenter. Then click on the Like button.

DVD of Bishop’s O’Connell’s Episcopal ordination
A professionally produced DVD of Bishop O’Connell’s Episcopal ordination, complete with both English and Spanish language commentary, is now available to purchase. The cost is $14.99. Call the “Monitor” office at the Diocese of Trenton, 609-406-7400 or go to the website www.trentonmonitor.com