Our priests are dedicated, zealous and faithful to their people. And this is the reason---they have a heart that is Marian, a heart formed and nourished by the Word of God.

Every five years, the diocesan bishop goes to Rome on this pilgrimage. During the visit, he makes a report to Rome on the state of the local church.

...thanks to more than half a million catechists in the parishes, missions and schools of this country, and to the more than 3,000 catechists in our own diocese, our faith is being passed on to another generation and the Church is impacting society.

What a great dignity Jesus has conferred on every human endeavor. He truly embraced our human condition in every aspect and made our human life as we live it a way to worship God.

If ever there was a need, a pressing need, for the total Christian formation Catholic schools can give, it is today.

Our compassion as a church is not counted simply in numbers. Rather it is measured by the depth of love we show one on one to others. Every individual deserves our love. For in the mystery of the Incarnation, God revealed his love by loving us, redeeming us as though each of us alone existed.

Each time the Spirit leads us to deny our bodies, our appetites, our selfish wills and we reach the goal Christ sets for us, there is always a deep sense of joy.

Almost 800 women religious live and work among us. What a gift they are to the Church of Paterson.

Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, may the good example of each of us living the faith be the seeds for an abundant harvest of conversions and returns to the Church.

On August 15, the Feast of the Assumption, our Holy Father will go to Lourdes. In prayer we join with him. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, may the witness of our lives enlighten the way for others to follow Jesus.

It is only in following Jesus that anyone of us can lead others to the Lord. I am truly grateful for the overwhelming welcome that you have given. From the many speculations reported in the media to the announcement by the Holy See, from every corner of the diocese, I have felt such an outpouring of hope and joy that have made easier the new direction of my ministry.